Raise children better to cut knife crime, say family of Southport attack victim

The parents of one of the survivors of the Southport attack said knife crime will only be cut if young people are “raised better” and are taught about healthy relationships.

Their daughter, referred to as child A, survived despite being stabbed more than 30 times in the attack in July last year, their Labour MP Paul Foster (South Ribble) told a Commons debate on knife crime on Thursday.

In a statement read out by Mr Foster, her parents praised tougher knife crime laws but said work to tackle the problem needed to begin with educating children.

They added young people needed to be exposed to “counter messaging” to oppose what they were being exposed to online.

“The work required is vast and complex,” the family said in a statement read by Mr Foster. “Long term reduction in knife crime will only be seen if we go back to the start and raise our children better.”

In July last year, Axel Rudakubana, then 17, murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; during the attack in the Merseyside town.

Rudakubana has been jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murders, along with the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes at the Taylor Swift themed dance class.

“We are extremely focused from our direct experience on male youth violence against women and girls, but also recognise that knife crime crosses many other areas of our society, and tackling this is complex.

“To reduce knife crime and other acts of violence perpetrated by young men and boys against women and girls we must look at the motivations, the narratives and the environments they are immersed in. For us this is the hard work, the work that requires sustained commitment. That commitment comes from us.

“The work to reduce knife crime must begin before young people go out to obtain a knife. It is sensible to make it harder to purchase knives, to tighten the law carrying knives, these are tangible solutions that provide a quick reassurance and results.

“But, if a young person is looking for a knife, then we are too late, and they are already on the path to causing harm.

“We must support parents, caregivers and school leavers better, not only in how they identify and support young people, who may be at risk themselves or to others, and we all can agree that these pathways need overhauls, and the Southport Inquiry will serve this purpose.

“But before that, working with all children, establishing the fundamentals of healthy relationships, friendships, girls and boys are all equal. Our young people must be exposed to counter messaging from what they may be consuming online or even at home.

“The work required is vast and complex, but the long-term reduction in knife crime will only be seen if we go back to the start and raise our children better.

“In the context of violence towards women and girls, current topics are important. Netflix’s show Adolescence has opened up a conversation about our children’s exposure to harmful messaging and themes about women and girls.

“We are grateful for the coverage happening this week which is further highlighting the terrifying impact of Andrew Tate and others on vulnerable young boys.”

Mr Foster said: “I commend that child’s parents for having the courage to write that, and the concern that they have clearly that this is going to happen again.

“I urge all members of this House to please work together for the victims, for the families, and let’s please deal with this once and for all.”