‘I’ll never forget the screaming’: How the people of Southport are trying to make sense of horror
The pink ribbons on the front gates and signposts of Hart Street in Southport are faded now.
Warning: This article contains content some readers might find distressing.
Placed there in that wave of grief and shock, they are now one of the last visual reminders of what happened on 29 July.
One of the others: many of the doorbell cameras are still missing from their backplates. Cameras that recorded the horror on their doorsteps were taken away to provide the evidence.
The attack that took the lives of Alice Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King and injured others, has left an indelible mark on an unremarkable street in a genteel seaside resort.
(L-R) Victims Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King and Alice Dasilva Aguiar
Axel Rudakubana, 18, from Lancashire, was jailed for life with a minimum of 52 years on Thursday at Liverpool Crown Court for the three murders.
He also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a kitchen knife on Monday, and further pleaded guilty to charges of producing ricin and possessing an al Qaeda training manual allegedly found in searches of his home in Banks.
Read more:
Mugshot of attacker Axel Rudakubana released
The vivid colours of the summer have given way to the harsh cold of winter on Hart Street. But if the physical reminders of that day are disappearing, the emotional scars are borne by everyone you talk to.
“I’m still in shock,” said Briony. “I don’t think I’ve completely processed it yet. I know a lot of people are definitely still in shock as well because it was in front of them that it happened.”
She was on the phone to her mum when she heard the first screams. Her front window, she said, felt like a giant TV screen, only the images playing out were of real-life horror.
Florist Briony said she ‘heard screams’ on the day of the attack
“I remember the parents turning up. They were abandoning the cars and running down the road screaming,” she said. “I’ll never forget that sound, just absolutely horrendous.”
Hart Street is one of many in Southport that features the idiosyncrasy of small industrial units tucked behind the rows of neat Edwardian houses and accessed by driveways between.
It was in one of the units that the attack took place, its victims spilling into the street as it unfolded.
Steve, who was rebuilding a wall in his front garden, ushered many of them, some badly injured, into his house and the care of his wife. He grabbed a hammer and went to confront the attacker as police arrived.
A survivor of the Hillsborough disaster, he plays down his role on 29 July. Desperate parents came to the house looking for their children, the horror for some was that their child wasn’t there.
“What is there to say? I just think of the families,” he said.
Hart Street in Southport, where the attack took place last July
The heroism of the people of Hart Street gave way to a community response that sustained each other through those first few days and in the months since.
Initially, inside the bubble of the police cordon, they were insulated from the global spotlight that turned on their street.
Today there are people who, politely, refuse to talk about what happened. They have relived it enough. You can read in their eyes the trauma they carry.
But there are others who, if they would rather not talk publicly, do want to talk about it. Maybe it is easier to a stranger. Perhaps it is some catharsis for an experience, they all agree, that has changed everyone.
The pain on Hart Street is palpable.
People recall explaining to their own children why the faces of girls they knew were suddenly on the television, how seeing a certain shade of green brings back memories of the attacker’s distinctive hoodie, how anxiety now accompanies even the most routine of daily chores.
Some wonder whether they could have done something to stop the attack.
Thousands of flowers were left on Hart Street in the aftermath of the attack
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When you walk up garden paths that police swept for DNA evidence, when you use pavements and alleyways that were the scene of the most unimaginable horror – when does anything ever return to normal?
One house became an impromptu post office for the cards of condolence that arrived from around the world. Many were simply addressed “Alice, Bebe and Elsie, c/o Hart Street”.
Briony, who trained as a florist, was one of the residents who took it upon themselves to look after the mountain of flowers that also arrived at Hart Street, to keep them as fresh for as long as possible in the summer heatwave.
“I went out there with my headphones on so I could concentrate on it. It felt like it was important to show everybody how loved those three girls were and how the community cares so much about what’s happened.”
Some of the tributes live on, replanted in flower beds on Hart Street, Briony is drying some to turn into a work of art.
Briony is drying flowers left on Hart Street to turn into a work of art
The pain of the memories of the events of 29 July is matched only by the anger many feel at the scenes of unrest that followed.
“Disgusting. I thought it was disgusting,” said Briony. “It was just a sign of pure hatred and nothing else.”
Shifting the focus away from the families of the victims, for many, is unforgivable. Even in recent weeks, friends and relatives of the children caught up in the attack have continued to return to Hart Street.
They come to thank those who helped save lives that day. They talk. Sometimes they just hug.
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through. I just hope they can find some sort of peace at some point,” said Briony.
For the parents of Alice, the grieving process includes a monthly mass for her at their local Catholic church.
Father John Henegan gave victim Alice her first Holy communion and also held her funeral
Father John Henegan gave Alice her first Holy Communion last summer.
“She was just radiant, just this constant beaming smile, it was absolutely natural,” he said.
Weeks later, Father John was holding Alice’s funeral. How does he believe any family can reckon with the violence that took her life?
“Our response is goodness. Our response is hope,” he said, adding: “Love instead of hate. Hatred creates chaos and distress. Love is the way. Hope is the opposite to despair. We can change things. We can help to build a better world.”
On Hart Street, those pink ribbons continue to fade, but the memories of Alice, Bebe and Elsie never will.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
The Scottish government is scrapping its plans to create a National Care Service.
It is an embarrassing but perhaps predictable end to years of ambitious talk about finally coming up with a solution to the social care crisis.
In a statement at Holyrood, the government tore up parts of the bill that would require major structural changes to the Scottish social care system.
The downfall of the plan wasn’t money or lack of ambition necessarily.
And there was cross-party agreement on what needed to be done. The problem was a frustrating lack of consensus on how to get there.
It is also the end of the process that has been costly too.
More than £30m has already been spent on planning the policy cover the last three years.
It was one of the boldest public service reforms of the SNP’s 17 years in power, with the scheme forming a key policy of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s administration.
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In 2021, Ms Sturgeon branded the National Care Service the “most ambitious reform since devolution”.
Now, the plan is in tatters, and it tells us a lot about how difficult social care reform is and what might lie in store for the Westminster government.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has unveiled plans to reform the social care system with his own version of a National Care Service, designed to bring it closer to the National Health Service.
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Streeting challenged on social care cuts
Mr Streeting announced the formation of an independent commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, to develop comprehensive proposals for organising and funding social care.
But the past is littered with broken promises when it comes to social care reform.
Successive governments from Tony Blair right through to Boris Johnson have failed to grasp the nettle and implement plans.
It is in part due to the billions of pounds that would be needed to pay for it – likely raised through taxes – but it has also failed because political parties haven’t been able to work together to make reform a reality.
The failure of the Scottish plan does not bode well for future social care reforms across the rest of the UK.
Angela Carson struggles to pull the damp laundry out of her washing machine. Her hands are so weak she can barely stop them from shaking.
The 65-year-old places the wet clothes onto her lap and slowly moves herself in a wheelchair through the small kitchen to another room, so they can dry.
Angela suffers from the lingering after-effects of a rare condition, Guillain-Barre syndrome, that attacks her nerves. It means she struggles to walk without two sticks by her side. Her husband Graham, who is in a motorised wheelchair, can only look on.
The 67-year-old was born with the muscle-wasting disease muscular dystrophy and now has limited movements – just in his hands – to operate the chair.
Angela struggles to walk without two sticks by her side
Angela suffers from the after-effects of Guillain-Barre syndrome, while Graham has muscular dystrophy
For the last seven years, the pair have relied on carers to come into their home several times a day to help with their everyday needs, including getting Graham in and out of bed using a hoist, personal hygiene, and preparing meals.
It was a week before Christmas when they received the devastating news: their local council was cancelling all of Angela’s care, and reducing Graham’s support. The decision was non-negotiable and came as a big shock to them both.
“They just said it was being stopped,” says Angela tearfully. “They said it was to promote independence. But I don’t see how, when I can’t do the things they say I can do.”
The council says Angela can prepare meals, walk, and shop – tasks she says are a struggle.
West Lothian Council took the decision to stop their care
‘Urgent action needed’
A few weeks earlier, their local authority, West Lothian Council, issued a downbeat but honest public statement about its finances, saying that the crisis facing councils was of a “magnitude never experienced” and that “urgent action” was needed.
Graham and Angela’s care is paid for by the council. It posted on Facebook about having an £8.1m overspend, fuelled in part by rising social care costs. It said it needs to make savings.
Not long after, social workers knocked on the door of Graham and Angela’s bungalow in Livingston to review their care package. The council said these reviews are done annually and are based on need, not cost.
A spokesperson for the West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership said: “This process is critical to monitor the progress and effectiveness of the care being provided to individuals and ensures that assessed and essential care needs are met.”
Angela and Graham on their wedding day
They added: “A consistent and fair approach is applied when reviewing or assessing an individual’s care, with any changes to a care plan being made on the basis of assessed need and not to address financial pressures. “
‘Social care is broken’
But Angela and Graham aren’t so sure.
“The social care system is broken”, says Graham.
“The council has overspent by millions of pounds. They’re cutting back and it’s hard to see it any other way.”
Graham Carson says the social care system ‘is broken’
Graham is right – councils are struggling to pay for social care. This financial pressure means the demand for care has outstripped the ability to provide it.
In England, 2.6 million people over 50 cannot currently access the care they need, according to the charity Age UK. Social care is devolved – the governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all spend more per capita on social care than the Westminster government spends in England.
The council just said her care ‘was being stopped’, Angela Carson says
In response to Graham and Angela’s situation, the Scottish government said it “understands the importance of social care support for those who need help living independently and we know the concerns changes to these services cause”.
It acknowledged that while it has overall control of social care, it is up to local authorities to ensure people have the right support.
A Sky News survey of homecare providers across England, Scotland and Wales indicates a worrying trend of cuts to these vital services in the last two years.
Of the care providers who responded, 83% told Sky News their local council had cut the number of care packages. And 81% of care providers in the survey said councils had cut the number of hours they’re willing to fund, suggesting carers spend less time in people’s homes.
‘We’ve really got to crack on’
The UK government has published plans to reform the social care system, aiming to establish a National Care Service designed to bring it closer to the National Health Service.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting announced the formation of an independent commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, to develop comprehensive proposals for organising and funding social care. Her full recommendations are expected in 2028.
When Sky News asked Mr Streeting about why the survey of care providers indicates such worrying cuts when plans for reforms are years away, the minister said in Labour’s first six months in power “we’ve delivered the biggest expansion of carers allowance since the 1970s”.
“We’ve made sure that we’re delivering real improvements through the disabled facilities grants, people’s homes,” he added.
He also pointed to additional funding from the chancellor and said the first findings of the Casey Commission will come next year.
When pressed on what action is being taken to help people without care in their homes right now, Mr Streeting said: “I know we’ve really got to crack on.”
In response to the survey, Councillor David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said councils are acutely aware of the challenges facing social care providers.
“As of March 2024, over 400,000 older and disabled people were waiting for care to start, their care needs assessed, or direct payments. Without immediate government funding, vital services face significant risks, impacting those who rely on care and their families,” he said.
Dr Jane Townson, chief executive of the Homecare Association, says around half of care providers are operating at a loss, with many withdrawing from council contracts due to inadequate funding.
“The consequences are stark,” she said.
“Unlike other businesses in the economy, homecare providers cannot simply raise their prices. This is because almost 80% of homecare services are purchased by councils and the NHS, who fix fee rates.
“Ethical homecare providers want to reward care workers fairly and provide safe, good quality care. The government is making it more difficult to do so.
“This means older and disabled people face having their care reduced or stopped.”
Read more from Sky News:
How a vulnerable man was failed by his carer
Starmer vows to ‘take on NIMBYs’
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Graham and Angela’s care is paid for by the council
Scotland’s National Care Service plan scrapped
Plans for a National Care Service in Scotland were well under way until last Thursday, when the government there said it would be scrapped.
More than £30m has already been spent on the policy over the last three years. It was one of the boldest public service reforms of the SNP’s 17 years in power.
Following the announcement, Conservative MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane accused the government of being a “shower of charlatans”. He wrote on social media: “Let’s call this what it is: £30million of taxpayers’ money flushed down the drain by a government with a proven track record of failure.”
The reality for Angela is that no one is coming to care for her right now. She has to do everything herself.
“It is terrible. I go to bed and that’s all I can think about. I feel I don’t exist – that if I wasn’t here anymore it wouldn’t matter.”
The exclusive data in this article was collected via an online survey between 14-17 January sent to domiciliary care providers that are members of the Homecare Association, Scottish Care and Care Forum Wales. The survey went out to 2,650 home care providers in England, Scotland and Wales. There were 336 responses.
Have you been affected by cuts to social care? We’d like to hear from you. Email nick.martin@sky.uk
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