'SWEET CHILD'
Heartbroken great-aunt of girl, 7, killed in Southport stabbing pays tribute to ‘lovely, sweet & gentle’ child
Elsie's teachers at Farnborough Schools were also seen paying a heartfelt tribute to the 'kind and caring' girl
THE heartbroken great-aunt of a girl killed in the Southport stabbing has paid tribute to the 'lovely, sweet & gentle' seven-year-old.
Jean Stevenson laid flowers close to where her great-niece Elsie Dot Stancombe was killed along with two other young girls on Monday.
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She told the BBC: "Elsie was lovely, sweet and gentle. She was absolutely the sweetest child you could ever wish to meet."
Jean had been teaching Elsie how to sew - recalling her delight at being able to make her own top.
She said: "I thought I could go on giving her lessons and passing my skills on.
"It's true what they say about the Southport community. It's a very close knit community.
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"It's a very family-orientated area. Stuff like this just doesn't happen here."
Elsie's teachers at Farnborough Schools were also seen paying a heartfelt tribute to the "kind and caring" girl.
One of the teachers said: "It is difficult to put into words how amazing Elsie was and the impact she had on those around her.
"We will miss you, Elsie. You were one of a kind. You will always be a Farnborough girl."
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Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were also killed in the horrific attack.
Number 10 Downing Street was lit up in pink colours last night in remembrance of the victims.
Buildings across the North West are expected to be turned pink over the weekend.
It comes as parts of the UK erupted into chaos on Friday for another night as thugs continue to wreak havoc as they riot over the stabbings.
Hundreds of people gathered in Sunderland city centre following riots in Hartlepool and London on Wednesday.
Disturbing images show a police station up in flames after cars were torched. Beer barrels and bricks were hurled at cops, with three taken to hospital.
Days earlier, an 11-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson after a police car was set alight during a violence in nearby Hartlepool.
The terrifying killing spree that left the three young girls dead unfolded on July 29 as children enjoyed a Taylor Swift Yoga and Dance Workshop at a community centre.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana was named as the teen charged over the knife attack in the Merseyside town.
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Rudakubana was unmasked after a judge lifted reporting restrictions just days before his 18th birthday.
Terrified witnesses described the rampage as a "horror film" as the teen allegedly stabbed children at random.
Hero dance teacher Leanne Lucas is understood to have been knifed in the arms, neck and back as she used her body to shield young girls from the knifeman.
Her colleague Heidi Liddle escaped uninjured after bravely locking some of the children inside a toilet.
Another adult, Jonathan Hayes, was stabbed in the leg as he tried to fend off the attacker after running into the class when he heard screams.
Police confirmed two children had been released from hospital, while five remain for treatment.
The attack has sparked riots across the country - despite the local community calling for calm.
Suspected knifeman Rudakubana rocked back and forth in the dock as he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court charged with three counts of murder.
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He is also accused of ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article - a curved kitchen knife used in the attack.
The prosecution said he had an "autism spectrum disorder diagnosis" and had been "unwilling to leave the house and communicate with family for a period of time".
COMMENT: Social media giants to blame for fake news that sparked shameful riots
By Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate
IN moments of crisis and tragedy, it’s second nature for us to go on to social media to look for the latest information.
After we heard the first shocking reports that children had been stabbed in Southport, we went to social media to try and find out the truth – who did this and why?
But the problem with our reliance on social media as a source of information is that all platforms are designed in ways that show us lies first and the truth last.
Journalists working for a newspaper or broadcaster try to tell us what they can prove, which can be unclear in the immediate wake of a tragedy.
Social media platforms, instead, look at how much engagement their posts get.
That’s because they don’t actually care about the value to society of that information, rather the value to them.
Before anyone could report the truth in Stockport, selfish and cynical losers were using social media to exploit this tragedy and push hateful lies.
With zero evidence, they claimed that Muslims were behind the attack and that the police were hiding the truth.
And they know that the more outrageous the lie, the more people will see it.
The consequences were plain to see, as gangs of thugs descended on Southport, shamefully using the deaths of three young girls to whip up hate and attack the police.
Let’s be clear, social media companies are to blame. They let people break their rules with impunity.
The reason they do this is simple: hate and lies are big business for social media.
That’s how the truth loses, and the lies of extremists and weirdos enter the mainstream.
Social media companies pretend this is complicated, but the basic solutions are simple.
First, we need to force these companies to come clean on how their algorithms boost dangerous lies.
Second, we need to hold them accountable with fines and penalties.
American social media giants are to blame for this chaos. It's them, not the people of Southport, who should be paying for the cleanup and coppers’ medical bills.
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