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.
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.
“It’s a very family-orientated area. Stuff like this just doesn’t happen here.”
Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were also killed in the horrific attack.
Number 10 Downing Street has been lit up in pink colours in remembrance of those killed.
Buildings across the North West are also expected to be pink over the weekend.
The terrifying killing spree unfolded on July 29 as children enjoyed a Taylor Swift Yoga and Dance Workshop at a community centre.
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 today 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.
Thugs set fire to a police car and hurled bricks at cops in Hartlepool last night as tensions flared.
Five other children and two adults were also seriously injured.
