Southport attack parents share Andrew Tate fears

The parents of a Southport attack survivor said teenage boys need to be protected from the “terrifying” impact of the influencer Andrew Tate.

Their daughter, referred to as Child A, was stabbed more than 30 times on 29 July by then-17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, in an attack that killed three young girls.

On Thursday the family’s local MP Paul Foster (South Ribble) read a statement from them in a Commons debate on knife crime.

He said Child A’s parents praised tougher knife crime laws but said work to tackle the problem needed to begin with educating children.

They added “counter messaging” aimed at young people was needed to oppose what they were being exposed to online.

The parents criticised Mr Tate’s effect on teenagers and praised Netflix drama Adolescence for exploring the topic of misogynistic radicalisation.

Rudakubana wiped much of his internet search history before the attack and it is not known whether he ever viewed material linked to Mr Tate.

However Cambridge Crown Court this month heard how triple murderer Kyle Clifford viewed Andrew Tate videos before shooting his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt and her sister Hannah with a crossbow and stabbing their mother Carol Hunt.

“The work required is vast and complex,” the statement read to the Commons said.

“Long term reduction in knife crime will only be seen if we go back to the start and raise our children better.”

Alice Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe died during the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop at a studio in the Merseyside town.

Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for the murders, along with the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Child A’s family said: “It is sensible to make it harder to purchase knives [and] to tighten the law carrying knives. These are tangible solutions that provide a quick reassurance and results.

“But, if a young person is looking for a knife, then we are too late, and they are already on the path to causing harm.”

The family said the upcoming public inquiry into the Southport attacks would “serve the purpose” of improving things for parents, caregivers and school-leavers.

Mr Foster told the Commons: “I commend that child’s parents for having the courage to write that, and the concern that they have clearly that this is going to happen again.

“I urge all members of this House to please work together for the victims, for the families, and let’s please deal with this once and for all.”