A 17-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of three girls who were stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
The teenager, from Banks in Lancashire, appeared in the dock at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed on Monday when a knifeman entered the dance class on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside.
Eight other children suffered knife wounds – with five of them left in a critical condition – while two adults were also critically hurt.
The boy was charged with the attempted murder of two adults, yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes, as well as the attempted murder of the eight children who cannot be named for legal reasons.
He was remanded into youth detention accommodation and will appear at Liverpool Crown Court later on Thursday.
The defendant came to court at about 9am in a prison van with a large police escort of vans and cars.
Around 20 members of the press packed into court 3.6, a youth court, before District Judge James Hatton sitting at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.
The teenager was brought into court at 10:21am, wearing a baggy grey tracksuit and black slippers.
He looked at the row of reporters sat behind the glass dock and smiled before he was asked to sit down.
The teenager used his left hand to pull his sweatshirt over his face above his nose and kept his head low during the five-minute hearing, in which he did not speak.
The hearing dealt largely with administrative legal matters ahead of his appearance before another judge later on Thursday.
None of the families of either the victims or defendant were in court for the brief hearing.
Judge Hatton told the defendant he would be remanded to youth detention ahead of his appearance at Liverpool Crown Court, in the same building, later on Thursday before Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC.
He said: “You will appear at crown court sitting at Liverpool later on today before a more senior judge who will make further direction and determinations in this case.”
On Thursday morning, two of the children injured in the attack were discharged from hospital, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said.
The trust added: “We continue to treat five children involved in the devastating incident in Southport on Monday, including one recently transferred to us from Aintree University Hospital.
“All the children in our care are currently in a stable condition.
“Our heartfelt sympathies remain with all those affected by Monday’s incident.”
Disorder has broken out in some towns in England following the attack, with more than 100 people arrested at a protest in Whitehall on Wednesday night, while there was also unrest in Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot.
Merseyside Police announced they were charging the boy at a midnight press conference on Thursday.
He cannot be named because he is under 18.
Chief Constable of Merseyside Police Serena Kennedy said: “Whilst these charges are a significant milestone within this investigation, this remains very much a live investigation, and we continue to work with our partners from Lancashire Police and counter-terrorism police in the North West.”
Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects to the victims at a vigil in Southport on Tuesday evening, but violence later erupted outside a mosque in the town with 53 police officers and three police dogs injured.
Police called in support from neighbouring forces in case of further disorder, but the seaside town appeared to remain quiet on Wednesday evening, however unrest developed in other areas of the country.
Protesters, chanting “you’re not English any more” and throwing bottles and cans at police in riot gear, were detained on Whitehall while in Hartlepool, County Durham, a police car was set alight and glass bottles and eggs were thrown at officers.
