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Warning: This article contains distressing and upsetting details.

“The only thing any of us knew when we turned up was that there was a child on the floor on Hart Street who had been stabbed and the offender was in the building.”

Nothing could have prepared Sgt Greg Gillespie for the events of 29 July 2024, which claimed the lives of three young girls.

Called to reports of a stabbing at a dance studio in Southport, he arrived to an unfolding scene of horror.

“I remember people in the road waving me down,” he said.

“I just could see the look of fear and terror in the faces of the people there and then getting out of the car and hearing them screaming and shouting.”

Sgt Gillespie said he saw a little girl, whom he thought was dead.

She managed to survive, despite being stabbed more than 30 times.

“I don’t think there’s any amount of training or experience that can quite prepare you to deal with something like that or to process it,” he added.

PC Luke Holden, who arrived shortly after with PCSO Timothy Parry, said he remembered hearing his colleague’s words on his radio.

“The way he spoke, confirming the address and the scene he faced… I could just hear sort of terror in Greg’s voice,” he said.

Sgt Gillespie said he decided in a moment that they had to deal with whatever was happening in the building.

“We just knew the right thing was that we couldn’t wait for armed response back-up,” he said.

“We didn’t know where they were [but] it was that urgent.

“Everyone now knows the sequence of events that occurred that day – that wasn’t known to us at the time.”

He said all they knew was that a child had been stabbed and “the offender was in the building”.

PC Holden vividly remembers what happened next.

“Greg looked at me and said ‘are you ready?’”

He said he replied with a simple “yeah” and then the pair went “shoulder to shoulder” into the building.

Almost immediately, they were face-to-face with 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana who, unbeknown to the officers, had walked into the studio and attacked the children who had been enjoying a school holiday Taylor Swift-themed workshop.

“He was showing us the knife, holding it out in front of us, blood-stained,” Sgt Gillespie said.

“It was almost like he was saying, ‘I’ve got a knife, what are you going to do?’”

Sgt Gillespie said the youth’s attitude seemed to change, as if when he saw that the officers “weren’t scared of him, he didn’t want to know”.

“It would be quite hard to paint him as more of a coward than he already is, but I think that says a lot for me,” Sgt Gillespie added.

Alice Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were killed in the attack, while eight other children and two adults were seriously wounded.

The 17-year-old responsible for those deaths and injuries was sentenced to life with a minimum of 52 years for the killings in January.

The horrors of the day have inevitably left an indelible mark on the town, but its residents have united together, determined not to let the atrocity define their home.

Sgt Gillespie said he had been heartened by that response.

“The community has come together mostly as a result of the actions of the parents of the victims who’ve been nothing short of inspirational,” he said.

“As a father, the thought of something like that happening to a child and then having to get up the next morning and try to proceed with your life is unfathomable.

“But the three sets of parents have not only done that… they’ve continued the legacy of their daughters’ names and they brought the community together.”

All three officers were recognised at the Police Federation of England and Wales 2025 bravery awards for their actions on the day.

They said the attack had changed them.

“It affects you in ways that you don’t imagine,” PC Holden said.

“My hyper-vigilance increased 1,000% and I was wary of everyone in every situation.

“You start thinking worst case of every situation you deal with.”

PCSO Parry said it was “quite difficult” to return to normal life, adding that trying to do activities with his own child, and seeing others of a similar age to the victims, had been “hard for me for quite some time”.

“Obviously, it’s nothing compared to what the families involved had to go through and things, but it was a bit of a challenge.”

Sgt Gillespie said the events of 29 July last year had been “the toughest experience of my life, never mind my career”.

But, he added, compared with the families of the children killed and injured, “our pain and suffering is the tiniest drop in the largest ocean compared to theirs”.