Leanne Lucas shares her chilling experience of the attack during a Taylor Swift-themed yoga class, highlighting her instinct to protect the children.
In a harrowing account of survival, Leanne Lucas, a yoga instructor injured during the Southport stabbings, shared her chilling experience of the attack that took place during a Taylor Swift-themed class last July. The incident resulted in the tragic deaths of three children—nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, six-year-old Bebe King, and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe—at the hands of 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, who was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison in January for his crimes.
Speaking to the BBC’s Panorama, Ms Lucas recounted the moment when Rudakubana launched his violent assault, revealing she was repeatedly stabbed in the spine, head, ribs, lung, and shoulder blade. Despite her injuries, she felt a compelling instinct to survive for the sake of the children in her class. “I just knew that if I didn’t get out, everyone was going to die,” Ms Lucas explained. She relied on her instincts to flee the scene, urging the terrified children to escape by shouting “Run!” as she attempted to guide them towards safety.
Ms Lucas’s determination did not go unnoticed; her efforts were echoed by 14-year-old Sarah, another survivor who remains anonymous due to a court order. In an interview with the BBC, she described her experience during the attack, noting her instinct to protect the younger children. “I remember seeing the girls all like huddling around the stairs. So I remember shouting for them to get down and get out,” Sarah stated. Her efforts included physically pushing the frightened children down the stairs, driven by the belief that Rudakubana would not stop until he harmed everyone.
After managing to escape the building, Ms Lucas realised that her ordeal was not over. She reached out to the bystanders outside, desperately trying to instruct them to help the children left behind. “My brain is going 100 miles an hour but my body won’t do anything,” she recalled, describing how confusion and fear gripped her as she directed others to assist. “And there are people asking me questions and I am saying: ‘Go and get the children.’ I just don’t know what else I could have done.”
This tragic incident continues to resonate within the community as it reflects on the profound impact of such violent acts and the resilience of those who lived through it.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://people.com/taylor-swift-themed-yoga-class-stabbing-teacher-critically-injured-8686029 – This article corroborates the details of the stabbing incident during a Taylor Swift-themed class in Southport, including the critical injuries sustained by the yoga instructor, Leanne Lucas, and the tragic deaths of three children.
- https://people.com/taylor-swift-speaks-out-children-killed-in-stabbing-at-themed-event-southport-8685428 – This article provides additional context on the incident, including Taylor Swift’s response and the details of the children who were killed.
- https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-07-30/3-girls-killed-in-stabbing-at-taylor-swift-themed-uk-dance-class-7-people-still-critically-wounded – This article confirms the names of the children killed in the stabbing and provides further details about the incident and its aftermath.
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news – Although the specific article is not available, the BBC would likely have coverage of the incident and interviews with survivors like Leanne Lucas, providing firsthand accounts of the attack.
- https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news – The Guardian would likely have detailed reports on the incident, including witness accounts and updates on the investigation and sentencing of the perpetrator.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative references a recent incident and sentencing, indicating it is relatively current. However, without specific dates for the interview or publication, it’s difficult to assess its absolute freshness.
Quotes check
Score:
9
Notes:
The quotes appear to be original and are attributed to interviews with the BBC. Without further online sources, it’s likely these are first-hand accounts.
Source reliability
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative originates from a reputable publication, the Bristol Post, and includes interviews with the BBC, which is generally considered reliable.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims are plausible and consistent with known events. The details of the attack and sentencing align with what would be expected in such a tragic incident.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative appears to be current, with original quotes and reliable sources. The plausibility of the claims is high, given the context of a well-documented tragic event.
