Murder victims laid to rest and rioters jailed as Southport continues healing process

It has been another emotionally charged week for the residents of Southport as the first of three little girls killed in the mass stabbing was laid to rest and more of the rioters who tore the town apart - both physically and emotionally - the day after the murders were put behind bars.

Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar - aged six, seven, and nine - were killed after a ‘ferocious’ knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class for children at the Hart Space studio on July 29.

On Sunday, August 11, hundreds of mourners gathered in Southport for the funeral of Alice, who was described as a 'perfect dream child' in a moving eulogy read at the service on behalf of her parents, Sergio and Alexandra.

Members of the public lined Marshside Road as the funeral cortege arrived at St Patrick's Catholic Church, along with uniformed officers from the police, ambulance and fire services, in a show of community support.

Pink ribbons and balloons were tied to lampposts and garden walls. Applause broke out as the carriage - drawn by two white horses sporting orange and white plumes - containing the youngster's white coffin approached the church entrance. Several hundred people packed into the church while more listened outside as the service was relayed on loudspeakers.

Six-year-old Bebe King's funeral will take place on Saturday, August 17, and it will be another emotional day for the town as residents are once again expected to turn out along the route to St Cuthbert’s Church.

Bebe’s parents Ben and Lauren said their ‘world was shattered’ by their daughters death. They have issued details of the funeral cortege route but have asked for the church to be left clear for family and friends only.

Rioters charged and sent to prison

It is against this backdrop of unbearable grief that the rioters who hi-jacked the tragedy and joined violent demonstrations organised by right-wing groups are being jailed.

The widely condemned scenes of missiles being thrown and vehicles being set on fire amid racist chants were bad enough, but the social range and age of the people who took part, or stoked the flames, is also hugely disturbing.

Gareth Metcalfe, 44, of Cambridge Gardens, Southport, was described by a Liverpool judge as having 'entrenched racist attitudes' and was handed the biggest prison sentence yet over the riots in Merseyside.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy became the youngest person to be charged in relation to the unrest on St Luke's Road on July 30 after he was caught on CCTV throwing a missile at police during the riots and then riding off on his bicycle

The charges and convictions spilled over into 'keyboard warriors' on social media too. A 53-year-old woman who lived 'a quiet, sheltered life in Cheshire' was jailed for 15 months after posting a comment on Facebook.

Under a picture of the clean up operation in Southport, Julie Sweeney posted: “It’s absolutely ridiculous. Don’t protect the mosques. Blow the mosque up with the adults in it.” The judge told her: “Even people like you need to go to prison”.

Merseyside Police say they have arrested 74 people, and charged 42 so far following violent disorder in Liverpool and Southport, adding: “There will be more to come in the following days and weeks.” Meanwhile, across the UK, there is a growing debate over whether or not the sentences are tough enough. One judge, John Thackray KC, the Recorder of Hull, has encouraged prosecutors to consider charging key offenders with rioting, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, rather than violent disorder, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.

A community trying to heal

Amid all this, there is a community tentatively treading the path back to normality. The fatal stabbing attack and the riots that followed have also had a tangible effect on businesses in Southport.

On the first Friday after the events, I headed into town to go to a diner at Ocean Plaza - a shopping and leisure destination located between the seafront and the town centre - and the usually busy area was eerily empty.

There was one other person in the restaurant and the staff told me that it had 'been like this all week'. It was understandable. And it was a scene echoed throughout parts of the town.

Mid-way through the week I passed the same diner. It was busier. Ocean Plaza and the seafront were busier too, if nowhere near normal school holiday levels. But the town is attempting to resume 'ordinary' life in extraordinary circumstances.

The Southport Flower Show begins today. Around 55,000 people would normally flock to Victoria Park, Lord Street and beyond over the four days of the event.

This year is more important than ever as the largest independent flower show in the United Kingdom celebrates its 100th anniversary. But more importantly than that, the show offers a positive focus for the town and a ray of light at the end of a dark tunnel.