Hero window cleaner tells of battle to save young children from Southport killer who stormed Taylor Swift dance class
A HERO window cleaner has recalled how he was first on the scene to help save injured children from the horrifying knife attack in Southport.
Marcin Tyjon, 41, was driving down the road with colleague Joel Verite, 26, when they heard terrifying screams and saw kids running down the street.
With no regard for his own safety, Marcin bravely gave CPR to one young victim as twisted killer Axel Rudakubana, 28, went on a stabbing rampage inside the Hart Space.
He said: “We drove maybe 10 metres closer and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a bleeding woman lying on the pavement, leaning against the car.
“We stopped, backed up and she started screaming.
“She started saying that there was someone inside and killing children.”
Marcin, originally from Poland, ran to the Hart Space where 26 children had been attending a Taylor Swift dance class.
He added: “Everyone was screaming.”
Marcin said that his friend, Joel, ran out of the building.
He said: “People started running from the area, neighbours, they started bringing towels.
“Someone took care of one girl, and I took care of the first one, then Joel brought out another girl and another one.
“I didn’t even know that the attacker was inside.
“We were in such a state of shock, in such a frenzy to save these children, that we didn’t even have time to speak to each other.
“From what Joel later told me, the perpetrator was standing on the landing.
“Joel didn’t make a move toward him, he just took care of the children and brought them out one by one.”
Ambulances then descended on the residential street at around midday, just as the dance class was due to finish, and rushed those injured to hospital.
Marcin said: “I didn’t know what condition each of them was in, because they were all seriously injured.
“Later a fourth ambulance arrived. I jumped out and said that I had someone in very, very bad condition.
“Everyone was crying, screaming, some were picking up their children.”
Marcin later gave statements to police and – despite his heroic efforts – questioned whether he could have done more.
Timeline of horror - how the attack unfolded
– 2002: Rudakubana’s father Alphonse moves to the UK from Rwanda, according to an interview he gave to his local newspaper in Southport in 2015.
– August 7 2006: Rudakubana is born in Cardiff, Wales.
– 2013: The family – including Rudakubana’s father, mother and older brother – move from Wales to Banks in Lancashire, a few miles from Southport.
– July 29 2024: Shortly before midday, a knifeman enters a dance class at The Hart Space in Hart Street in Southport.
Bebe, Elsie and Alice are fatally wounded. Eight other children are injured, as are instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. Police say they have detained a male and seized a knife.
Within hours, claims spread online that the suspect is an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023. Some claims include an alleged identity.
– July 30 2024: In the evening, a peaceful vigil is held outside Southport’s Atkinson arts venue, where flowers are laid in memory of those who died. Shortly after the vigil, a separate protest begins outside the town’s mosque in St Luke’s Road.
People throw items towards the mosque, property is damaged and police vehicles are set on fire.
– July 31 2024: Demonstrators gather in Whitehall, London, for an “Enough Is Enough” protest. Flares and cans are thrown at police and more than 100 people are arrested. Disorder also breaks out in Hartlepool, County Durham, and Aldershot, Hampshire.
– August 1 2024: Police announce that Rudakubana has been charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie Dot and Alice, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article. He is not named by police because of his age.
He appears in court in Liverpool and Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC rules he can be named, as he is due to turn 18 in a week.
He initially smiled on entering the courtroom – then kept his face covered by his sweatshirt for the remainder of the proceedings before the case was adjourned.
Later that evening, demonstrators gather outside a hotel in Newton Heath, Manchester.
– August 2 2024: Three police officers are taken to hospital after disorder in Sunderland.
– August 3 2024: There are scenes of violence during planned protests across the UK, including in Liverpool, Hull, Nottingham and Belfast.
– August 4 2024: Disorder continues, including outside a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where masked demonstrators launch lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers.
– August 5 2024: The Government holds an emergency Cobra meeting in the wake of the disorder and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vows to “ramp up criminal justice”. That evening, a peaceful vigil is held in Southport, a week on from the killings. Police deal with disorder in Plymouth, Devon and Darlington, County Durham.
– August 7 2024: Prison sentences for those involved in the unrest begin to be handed out. Derek Drummond, 58, is the first person to be jailed for violent disorder at Liverpool Crown Court, where he is sentenced to three years.
More than 100 protests are planned for across the country, with counter-demonstrations taking place, but the majority of police forces report very little trouble.
– October 29 2024: Merseyside Police announces Rudakubana will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink the next day charged with production of a biological toxin, Ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
– October 30 2024: Rudakubana appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink from HMP Belmarsh to face the two new charges. He holds his sweater over the bottom half of his face and does not respond when asked to confirm his name.
– November 13 2024: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink. He covers his face with his grey sweatshirt and does not speak throughout the hearing. About 20 family members of victims sit in the public gallery. The case is adjourned until December 12, when a preparatory hearing will take place.
– January 20 2025: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court for the first day of his trial where he pleads guilty to all 16 charges, including the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven
He added: “I couldn’t forgive myself. Maybe I could have done something more? I don’t know. I tried.”
This comes as Rudakubana pleaded guilty to murdering Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, yesterday.
It was also revealed Rudakubana was reported to anti-terror programme Prevent three times before the massacre.
The monster was first referred in 2019 when he was aged just 13 after showing a morbid fascination with a school massacre.
Rudakubana, who also researched the 2017 terror attacks in London, was found three times not to pose a terrorism risk.
Rudakubana was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder.
He also admitted two terror offences – but cops are still not treating the attack as terror-related despite the previous concerns over his behaviour.
The teen dramatically pleaded guilty to all 16 charges against him in a surprise development even the judge was not aware of.
Sadly, the victims’ families were not in court to see his plea as it was assumed the trial would officially open today.
He also pleaded guilty to one charge of the “production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, contrary to Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974”.
This relates to an Al-Qaeda manual and ricin that were found at his home following the attack.
It was the first time Rudakubana has spoken out loud in court after so far refusing to open his mouth throughout proceedings.
Speaking through a surgical mask, he replied “guilty” as all 16 counts were put to him one-by-one.
What did Rudakubana admit and what happens now?
THE teen was due to stand trial today where details about the attack would have been heard for the first time in court.
As he pleaded guilty, that information will now be revealed on Thursday instead at his sentencing hearing.
As with most court cases, if a defendant admits the charges, the sentencing does not usually take place on the same day.
This allows prosecutors and defence lawyers to submit relevant reports that will be taken into consideration by the judge.
Once the hearing is underway, the prosecution will open the case – meaning all the information not previously heard will be read out.
Mr Justice Goose warned Rudakubana it is “inevitable” he will receive a life sentence.
These are the 16 counts Rudakubana pleaded guilty to:
- Three counts of murder
- Eight counts of attempted murder in relation to eight other children
- Two counts of attempted murder against Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes
- One count of possession of a bladed article in a public place, namely a kitchen knife with a curved blade
- One count of production of a biological toxin, namely ricin
- One of possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual”.