The families of the three young girls who were killed by a teenage boy in a stabbing attack last year are demanding that the murderer's parents be held accountable for the tragic incident.
The victims were identified as seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, six-year-old Bebe King, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar. The three young girls were fatally stabbed by the suspect, then-17-year-old Axel Rudakubana.
Families Demand Accountability in Young Girls' Deaths
The families of the victims said that "deeply distressing" evidence from the parents of the killer showed that the tragedy was not inevitable, but was a result of neglect. During a Southport Inquiry, the teenager's parents apologized to the families who attended, saying that they were "profoundly sorry" for their "failure."
The parents of Elsie, Jenni and David Stancombe, said they believe that Rudakubana's parents, Alphonse and Laetitia, should be held accountable for what they "allowed to happen." They added that the killer's parents knew how dangerous their son was, but they chose to stay silent, according to BBC.
They argued that the Rudakubanas were very much aware that their son's behavior was escalating in the months, weeks, and days prior to the attack. However, they are accused of not having done anything to try and intervene before anyone got hurt.
The Stancombes accused the killer's parents of showing "no real remorse or acceptance of the devastation" that their son caused other families and the community. Additionally, Alex and Sergio Aguiar said that the system failed the three young girls.
The Parents of the Killer
During the hearing on Thursday, Alphonse told the public inquiry that he had knowledge about the teenage boy's stash, which had blades, a bow and arrow, a sledgehammer, a jerry can, and a substance that was seen as a crude attempt to make ricin, a type of poison, The Guardian reported.
Additionally, the killer is also believed to have threatened his father and said, "next time, if you stop me, there will be consequences." The father said that he was ashamed that he did not call the police, confessing that at the time, he did not have to courage to do so.
He also said that he was not worried when his son left home on July 29, 2024, even though, before that, the last time he went out, he was caught with a knife on a bus in March 2022. At that time, he told police that he wanted to stab someone, as per Sky News.
