Southport dance trainer breaks silence and admits she’s ‘misplaced religion on the planet’

The dance instructor who was leading the class where three young girls were stabbed to death has revealed that the horrifying event made her “lose faith in the world.”

Leanne Lucas, 35, was conducting a Taylor Swift-themed dance session when the dreadful attack happened in Southport on July 29.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine all lost their lives. At a candlelit vigil held in memory of women and girls who have fallen victim to male violence in Merseyside, Leanne expressed that the incident had left her feeling unsafe.

She also mentioned that she uses the memories of the girls as a “driving force to change things for other people in the future”. She stated: “My purpose was creating wellbeing events for children and families and for that to happen, where I was, and for the words I spoke and the children spoke, for that to be trampled over has really dampened all of our spirits. It left us feeling unsafe, feeling like we just lost faith in the world.”

After the attacks, towns and cities across the UK, including Southport and Liverpool, experienced riots – fuelled by false information circulated online.

So far, Merseyside Police have arrested 151 individuals linked to the unrest, with 107 charged and 82 imprisoned for a total of 172 years and seven months. Nationwide, the arrest count is nearing 2,000, reports the Mirror.

Despite this, Leanne noted an outpouring of love and support towards Southport, which she believes has strengthened the local community.

In her first interview since the tragedy, she poignantly described the connection forged by the ordeal, saying: “I try to resemble it as us being connected by an invisible piece of string. We’re all connected in the most horrible way. Sometimes that string will tangle, fray and knot, but at the best of time it’ll wrap together and it has brought a lot of us closer.”

She spoke of the community’s response and resolve, adding: “It’s created kindness and warmth and created a strong force that we couldn’t have imagined would be possible out of something so horrific.”

Expressing gratitude for the support received, she mentioned: “There’s been a lot of love from Southport, a lot of love come from all over the world. The impact has been tragic but there had been some goodness at times.”

Leanne also shared her determination to advocate for change and the importance of her voice in the movement against violence aimed at women and girls: “It’s just very important for me to be able to speak for the girls, as well as myself. I guess my aim of coming forward and dealing with what’s happened is to try and gain some positives out of what’s been so horrible.”

She envisioned using her platform for advocacy, stating: “Part of my mission to move forward is for change, so hopefully people will be hearing a lot more from me in the future. After everything’s happened and things have finished, I’m hoping my voice will get louder and louder and people will join me in that.”

Finally, she reflected on how to proceed while cherishing the memory of those lost: “I’m not too sure how we’ll ever move on, apart of using the girls’ memories as a driving force to change things for other people in the future so this doesn’t have to happen to them again.”

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, from Banks, Lancs, has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.

He is also charged with producing the toxin ricin and possessing a terrorism manual. He will next appear at Liverpool crown court on December 12.

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