Overview

• Axel Rudakubana, 18, carried out a knife attack in Southport in July 2024, killing three children and injuring multiple others, including yoga teacher Leanne Lucas.
• Leanne Lucas, despite suffering severe stab wounds, led several children to safety alongside her friend, dance teacher Heidi Liddle.
• Fourteen-year-old survivor Sarah also helped save others, describing the attacker as looking 'possessed' and recalling the chaos of the event.
• The attacker was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison, one of the longest sentences for someone his age in the UK, after pleading guilty in January 2025.
• The tragedy prompted calls for systemic changes, with Keir Starmer labeling it 'one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history.'