A hero window cleaner who tackled the Southport stabber as he unleashed a ‘ferocious’ attack on young girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class has revealed he wanted to ‘hurt him so bad’.
Joel Verite stopped at the scene of Monday’s savage attack, which has so far claimed the lives of three girls, with seven more people left in a critical condition.
The 25-year-old rushed headlong into the carnage after coming to the aid of a screaming woman – who then demanded: ‘Forget about me, there’s a fella in there stabbing kids’.
Mr Verite said he sprinted into the building where the mayhem was taking place and saw children and adults covered in blood – before then ‘locking eyes’ with the knifeman at the top of the stairs.
The young father, who is also a personal trainer, then charged at the attacker, wrestling with him before later carrying stabbed girls away from the scene.
Speaking out for the first time about the ordeal, Mr Verite told Sky News: ‘I look up and there’s this guy with a knife. I just wanted to hurt him so bad. But I was scared for myself and I wanted to help people.’
Joel Verite (pictured) stopped at the scene of Monday’s savage attack, which has so far claimed the lives of three children, with seven more people left in a critical condition
Six-year-old Bebe King was pronounced dead shortly after the attack in Southport on Monday
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was also confirmed to have died on Monday as nine other children and two adult women were rushed to hospital
Another of the children killed in the horror Southport stabbing attack was today named as Alice Aguiar, nine
An aerial view of the scene in Southport as a crazed knifeman targeted young girls at a dance class
The window cleaner was on his lunch break when a crazed attacker launched a frenzied attack at the holiday club dance workshop which was being held at The Hart Space studio in Southport, Merseyside.
Three children have died, eight others injured and two adults were also wounded as they ‘bravely’ tried to intervene.
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BREAKING NEWS
Dance class stabbing victim, 9, pictured as family reveal parents are ‘desolate and broken’
The child victims have today been named as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Yoga instructor Leanne Lucas, who was leading the dance class with colleague Heidi Barlow, was also among those injured and is in hospital.
Five further children, aged between six and 11, were in a critical condition alongside two female adults, among those Ms Lucas.
Alder Hey Children’s hospital this afternoon released a statement confirming that seven children had been taken to the site for treatment. One of those was Alice, and of the others, two remain in a critical condition, a spokesperson said.
A 17-year-old boy, from the nearby Lancashire village of Banks, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder and is being questioned following the incident.
The ‘introverted’ suspect was born in Cardiff after his family moved from Rwanda – then moved north to Merseyside about ten years ago.
Describing how the tragedy unfolded, Mr Verite said: ‘We were just listening to music in our own world, then he [his colleague] slammed on the brakes and all I can see from my side is a girl hanging from the side of her car.
‘I jumped out the car and I just asked her if she was alright. She just looked in complete shock and had blood all over her body.
‘She just screamed at me: ‘He’s killing kids over there, he’s killing kids over there’.’
Speaking about coming face to face with the attacker, he added: ‘I run towards the door, the entrance and exit to the dance studio.
‘There were two men in the gym where I used to go to … they’re pointing to the dance studio saying ‘he’s in there’.
‘I open the door downstairs … there’s a guy at the bottom of the stairs with a full tracksuit, his hood up, with a knife.
Mr Verite (pictured) was on his lunch break when a crazed attacker launched a frenzied attack at the holiday club dance workshop
Mr Verite said he smashed the door to prevent the knifeman escaping before returning to the car park
Forensic officers were seen at the scene in Southport on Tuesday as investigations begin
Heartbreaking floral tributes and teddy bears were left at the scene of the attack on Tuesday afternoon
A tribute to ‘the lost angels’ sits alongside a fluffy teddy bear in a heartbreaking message for the little children
Firefighters from Merseyside joined members of the public in paying tribute to those killed and injured in the stabbings
‘We’ve looked at each other and he’s scurried off to the side.’
Asked what was going through his head when he and the knifeman saw each other, the window cleaner said: ‘I’m thinking things that I’m not allowed to say on Sky News right now.
‘I’m really scared, all I saw was a knife … I’m there by myself at the bottom of the stairs.’
Mr Verite said he smashed the door to prevent the knifeman escaping before returning to the car park.
‘I came outside and I’m hectic now because I’ve seen the guy. I’m screaming because I knew where he was,’ he recalled.
Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, (pictured) who organised the Taylor Swift-themed workshop, suffered stab injuries after the man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat
The local teacher saved 16 children as the 25-strong class aged between six and 11, while nine children were taken to hospital. One has since died, with five still in a critical condition
She organised the dance, yoga and bracelet making workshop in Southport with Heidi Barlow, also 35, a fellow dance teacher, (pictured) who advertised the event as being for ‘Swifties’
The attack happened at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop on Hart Street in Southport. Police later swooped on a property in Banks, five miles away
Taylor Swift said she is ‘completely in shock’ after the ‘horror’ of the Southport knife attack
‘I was screaming ‘where’s the police, where’s the police?’.’
Mr Verite said it ‘felt like a lifetime’ before police officers swooped on the scene.
The window cleaner, a new father, said it was ‘one of the hardest things’ he has ever witnessed.
In the interview, he continued: ‘These children weren’t crying – they were absolutely terrified – if that makes sense.
‘Their parents turn up in absolute hysterics and they scream and cry that they want to go into the building, but they’re not allowed to because it’s a crime scene.
‘They ask me questions wanting to know information. It’s heartbreaking.
‘It made me feel disgusted and really upset for all the parents and all the children who had to go through that yesterday.
‘I’m not going to label myself a hero. I’m happy that I’ve done what I’ve done, and I’m happy that I’ve at least managed to save at least one life – if not more.’
The knifeman was later ‘tackled down to the floor’ by police, he added.
The families of the victims today paid tribute as they try and come to terms with the tragedy.
In a statement, Bebe’s family said: ‘No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.’
The family of Alice also paid tribute to their ‘princess’.
They said: ‘Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.’
Devastated relatives of Alice said she had been taken by a ‘despicable human being.’
Her mother Alexandra Aguiar is understood to be originally from Caracas in Venezuela and her dad David Aguiar is from the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Relative Carina Aguiar, a hotel worker who lives in Camara de Lobos in Madeira, posted a link on her social media to news Merseyside Police had confirmed a third child’ had died following the attack and wrote tear emojis beside it.
Earlier she posted a photo of a black ribbon on her Facebook alongside Alice’s name after writing in an emotional tribute: ‘Princess Alice. In this moment of great pain my soul hurts, my body hurts, my mind hurts. I have a lump in my throat.
‘You were just an innocent child, a happy smiley girl with a bright life ahead of you which a despicable human being took away from you, without pity, for no reason.’
The head of the school trust attended by Alice and Bebe said the girls ‘will be in our hearts forever’.
Endeavour Learning Trust chief executive David Clayton said ‘no words can do justice to what has happened here in Southport.
The trust contains Churchtown Primary School in Southport, which Alice and Bebe had both attended.
Churchtown Primary headteacher Jinnie Payne said the school had heard the ‘tragic news’ with ‘great sadness’, describing the stabbings as an ‘atrocity’.
In a statement, Mr Clayton said: ‘No words can do justice to what has happened here in Southport – and our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children.
‘No one should ever have to experience horror like this.
‘Our immediate focus now is on providing support to the community as we start to understand what has happened. The death of a child is always a desperate tragedy for a school, and particularly so under such circumstances.
‘We will come together as a community, offering each other support and care as we work through this difficult time.
‘Alice and Bebe will be in our hearts forever.’
Ms Payne said Alice, a Year 4 pupil at Churchtown, was the ‘happiest of souls, a true ray of sunshine’.
The Churchtown Primary headteacher added: ‘She was known and loved by everyone in our school community of 700 children, a testament to her unique ability to connect with others.
‘Alice’s radiant smile brightened our days, and she embraced every aspect of school life with enthusiasm and joy.
‘Her kindness, playful nature, and zest for trying new things will forever be remembered. Alice, you will always hold a special place in our hearts at Churchtown.’
Ms Payne said Bebe, a former pupil at the school, was a ‘joyful girl’ whose ‘kindness radiated through the entire Churchtown community’.
The headteacher added: ‘During her time at the school, Bebe’s considerate nature and her love of learning shone through in everything that she did.
‘Each day, she would come into school ready to grasp every opportunity available to her and fun and laughter were never far away whenever Bebe was involved.
‘Her considerate nature meant that she had many friends and she always ensured all children felt included, whether that was through play or working together in the classroom.
‘Bebe’s memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.’
The headteacher added: ‘We know that a number of other children from Churchtown were also involved in the attack, THPT along with much-loved colleagues.
‘We extend our heartfelt wishes to all those families affected by this horrific incident, including those currently in hospital or continuing to receive treatment.’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Southport this afternoon and thanked emergency service workers who responded to the knife attack, telling them: ‘I hope you feel proud of the part that you played in the most difficult circumstances, to do what you could for those young lives.’
He added: ‘It is sometimes really important in life just to come and say a simple thank you to all of you, so let me do that, on behalf of myself, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the country – thank you.’
The fully-booked club for children, which was advertised as a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet-making, quickly became something ‘like a horror movie’, witnesses to the deadly stabbings have said.
At the scene today, flowers and teddies were left by the police cordon. One message in a ‘Thinking Of You’ card said ‘thoughts and prayers’ are with those affected and was signed: ‘Love – Southport.’ Another said: ‘Fly high with angels little ones.’
In a social media post, Taylor Swift shared her horror at the ‘loss of life and innocence’ at the workshop.
She wrote: ‘The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock.
‘The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.
‘These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.’