No one would have imagined Southport attack would happen, inquiry told

The Southport attack on a children’s dance class was something “so awful” that no one could have imagined it would happen, the woman who ran the studio has told the public inquiry.

Jennifer Scholes, who owned the lease on The Hart Space studio, was asked questions about policies for locking doors in the building when she appeared at the Southport Inquiry on Monday.

Axel Rudakubana, then aged 17, killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and attempted to murder 10 others when he entered the Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the studio, armed with a knife, on July 29 last year.

Ms Scholes, who ran pregnancy and baby classes from the venue as well as hiring it out to others, confirmed that the external door to the building as well as internal doors leading to the studio were unlocked and were part of the emergency exit route.

She said: “The Hart Space had been open for nearly five years. We had never had an intruder or an unwanted visitor.

“I don’t think anybody would ever have imagined that something so awful would have happened.”

She was in tears when she was asked about dance teacher Leanne Lucas and said: “I think Leanne is a wonderful human being, an amazing teacher. I have had no problems with her conduct.

“She was trustworthy, she was always there on time and I could just tell she genuinely loved her job and the children.”

She confirmed on the day of the attack she arrived at the scene in Hart Street and Ms Lucas, who was “slumped” at the side of a van, told her the “kids were being stabbed”.

Ms Lucas, who suffered stab injuries in the incident, had been due to give evidence later on Monday, but the inquiry heard she was “not fit” and a summary would be read instead.