Family of Southport stabbing victim release last photo of her hours before her death

Alice da Silva Aguiar’s parents made a wonderful, albeit heartbreaking speech at their nine-year-old daughter’s funeral today.

Here’s a look at more of what Sergio and Alexandra said during the ceremony:

‘You were born and raised into love and we loved cuddling you every night for almost nine years. Apart from the sleepovers and nights away with your friends, we were never apart. 

‘You liked to sleep with mummy and daddy, enjoyed shutting the curtains and watching Disney Plus with popcorn. Our room was your comfort place. You were our comfort and peace.

‘As you were growing up from a princess to a pre-teen, we began to notice some changes, seeing your independence take shape.

‘From your skincare regime to playing with makeup, to your dedication to school, to dance and to your faith.

‘Your to-do-list was extensive and we were sure that you would achieve it if only you had the time.

‘We talked about which high school you might attend, about growing up, having a big house and a garden and having children. Children who we will never help you raise. It hurts. We will never see you grow up.’

Alice da Silva Aguiar’s mum Alexandra described her daughter as ‘our perfect dream child’ in a heartbreaking speech at her funeral today.

‘Everything was idyllic from the moment you arrived,’ she said.

The couple said Alice was dedicated to dance during a tribute at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Southport today.

‘A good girl, with strong values and kind nature,’ they said. ‘A lover of animals and an environmentalist in the making. You moved our world with your confidence and empathy. Playful energetic, friendly, and always so respectful.

‘A peacemaker of the playground. No shouting is a house rule you applied. A big task for a small girl, especially in a Portuguese household.

‘Being around you was a privilege, we cherished every milestone. You completed us.

‘In nine short years we never needed time off from you. We never gave up our time for anything that didn’t involve you too. And if we did, we’d always do it separately so you could have one of us always next to you.’

The family of Alice da Silva Aguiar have released the last photograph of the nine-year-old taken hours before she died at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

The pupil can be seen standing in a doorway of the Hart Space community centre, where the Southport stabbing took place on July 29, and beaming as she poses next to a cardboard cut out of the singer.

She was one of the three girls who died after several children were injured in the attack.

Her parents, Sergio and Alexandra, released the new picture on the day of her funeral in the Merseyside town.

The disorder seen in recent days has ‘somewhat stabilised’ in England, the National Police Chiefs’ Council head of public order has said.

Chief Constable BJ Harrington said the same about Scotland and Wales – where violence has been minimal – but added that the situation in Northern Ireland remains volatile.

He said: ‘Policing continues to stand strong and unified, with hard work and dedication from all of our workforce in the face of daily challenges.

‘The situation in England, Scotland and Wales has somewhat stabilised over the last few days, but our colleagues in Northern Ireland have overnight experienced awful violence with significant injuries experienced by officers on the front line and we are doing all we can to support them.

‘We have seen and continue to see bravery and the utmost professionalism from our officers, staff and volunteers in dealing with these abhorrent incidents of violent disorder.

‘No-one should have to face the prospect of injury or abuse in their work, and our thoughts are with all of those who have suffered injuries in the course of their duties.

‘We are working around the clock to bring offenders to justice and ensure the safety of our communities.’

A poll by More In Common has sought to find the opinions of various voting groups on the events of the past week.

The results show that one party sticks out from the others: Reform UK.

Among Reform voters polled, 56% said the riots and protests were borne from ‘legitimate concerns from those worried about immigration to the UK’.

Just 25% of Conservative voters said the same thing – the second-highest percentage by party.

More than two-fifths of Reform supporters also said those participating in the riots and protests ‘speak for me’, compared to 16% of Conservatives and 14% of Labour backers.

More results from the poll can be found in the thread from More In Common’s UK director Luke Tryl above.

The funeral service of Alice da Silva Aguiar is now taking place in St Patrick’s church on Southport’s Marshside Road.

Loudspeakers have allowed the hundreds of mourners gathered outside to hear what is said.

Around 30 uniformed police officers were among those who lined the streets of the Merseyside town, beside lampposts decorated with pink ribbons and balloons.

They applauded as the cortege made its way past, led by a white carriage pulled by two white horses sporting orange and white plumes.

People have started the line the streets of Southport as friends and family of Alice da Silva Aguiar attend her funeral.

The nine-year-old was one of three youngsters killed on July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town.

Mourners could be seen dressed in white as they lined the streets leading up to the funeral at St Patrick’s Church.

They appeared to fall silent as her coffin, which was carried in a white horse-drawn carriage, made its way towards the funeral.

Children will be taught the best ways to spot online misinformation in school after fake news was partially blamed for spawning this week’s riots.

Anti-immigration protests erupted after a false story spread on social media, claiming the person responsible for the Southport attack was a Muslim who had arrived in the UK on a small boat.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was launching a review of the curriculum in England to see how such lessons might be incorporated.

In English, Pupils might analyse newspaper articles to help weed out fabricated clickbait from true reporting.

In computer lessons, they could be taught how to spot fake news sites and maths lessons might include analysing statistics in context.

Phillipson told The Telegraph: ‘It’s more important than ever that we give young people the knowledge and skills to be able to challenge what they see online.

‘That’s why our curriculum review will develop plans to embed critical skills in lessons to arm our children against the disinformation, fake news and putrid conspiracy theories awash on social media.’

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has condemned the violence in UK towns over recent days as ‘racist’.

In a comment piece for the Observer, the Church of England’s top cleric expressed his horror at the use of Christian imagery by the far right, calling it ‘an offence to our faith’.

He continued: ‘Let me say clearly now to Christians that they should not be associated with any far-right group – because those groups are unchristian.

‘Let me say clearly now to other faiths, especially Muslims, that we denounce people misusing such imagery as fundamentally antichristian.’

We’ve got three more announcements of charges from police forces in Somerset and Northumbria.

Philip Cawthorne, 38, was charged with one count of violent disorder and appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, where he pleaded guilty to his role in the disorder.

Jack Fowler, 24, has been charged with one count of violent disorder and will appear at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday morning.

Both were linked to the recent unrest in Sunderland.

Meanwhile, Jamie Easterbrook, 43, was also charged with committing violent disorder after he was arrested at his Bristol home on Saturday night.

A 15-year-old boy has admitted playing a role in violent disorder in Sunderland earlier this week.

He becomes the first child to be convicted over the riots in the Tyne and Wear city.

The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted one charge of violent disorder and the burglary of a business at South Tyneside Youth Court on Saturday.

He will next appear at the same court on Thursday.

Meanwhile, another 15-year-old boy from Toxteth has been charged with burglary in relation to disorder which took place in Liverpool city centre on Saturday August 3.

The boy has been remanded in custody to appear at Merseyside Youth Court on Monday.

A 30-year-old man has been arrested after a clip was shared on social media showing someone suspected of making threats to kill.

West Midlands Police said the arrest was made in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, yesterday evening after the video was brought to their attention.

‘We take swift and effective action against anyone who feels that they can use social media to stir racial hatred or to encourage people to cause violence or take actions into their own hands,’ the force said.

‘We would like to thank the public for making us aware of the video and want to reassure people that action has been taken.

‘We will not tolerate violence in our towns and cities, or tolerate those who use social media to encourage such violence.

‘Our commitment to the safety of all residents remains unwavering and we will continue to work closely with the community to uphold peace and maintain order.’

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has condemned the attacks on police in Derry on Saturday.

As mentioned in our last post, 10 officers were injured in the city during demonstrations yesterday. One person has been arrested so far.

In a post on X, Benn said: ‘I’m appalled at the attacks on police in Derry/Londonderry last night.

‘My thanks to the PSNI for working to keep people safe and our thoughts are with the officers who were injured.’

Fireworks and petrol bombs were used against police during riots in Derry that left 10 officers injured yesterday, PSNI has said.

Derry City & Strabane Superintendent William Calderwood described the scenes in the Northern Irish city as ‘disgraceful and senseless’.

He said one person has been arrested so far, and that ‘a robust investigation is underway to bring all those responsible for this violence to justice’.

The unrest seen across the UK in the past week continues to have an impact in Northern Ireland, with several incidents reported on Saturday.

In the early hours of yesterday morning, a petrol bomb was thrown at a mosque in Co Down in an incident described by police as racially motivated.

The mosque in Newtownards was attacked at around 1am, with graffiti sprayed on the front door and walls of the building in Greenwell Street.

Police said the petrol bomb did not ignite.

Thousands of people also took to the streets of Belfast yesterday for an anti-racism demonstration.

An asylum seeker who was inside the Rotherham Holiday Inn when it was attacked by far-right rioters a week ago has said people are ‘traumatised’ by the event.

Hundreds of self-described protesters surrounded the hotel last Sunday, clashing with riot police who fended off bricks and chairs with their shields.

Windows were smashed and a flaming bin was pushed against an opening in an apparent attempt to set the building alight with people inside.

At least 10 police officers were injured, with one knocked unconscious, while the rioters broke into the hotel.

The 29-year-old asylum seeker, who did not want to be identified out of concern for his safety, told the PA news agency: ‘They entered from the back/kitchen to the dining area and broke the windows from the inside.

‘From the inside they threw chairs and tables onto the police and were throwing other things at the police.

‘And then they started the fire. People were really scared inside the hotel.’

He said he had a ‘great life’ in his home country of Afghanistan and initially came to the UK as a student, but applied for asylum after the Taliban took over the country.

His experience here had been a ‘very happy’ one where he felt safe, he said, adding: ‘But now I don’t go outside. I don’t want to explore new places. I feel very sad and frustrated. I feel very lost now.’

The head of the Crown Prosecution Service is gearing up to hand out charges that could result in 10 years’ imprisonment to those involved in the riots, according to reports.

Many of those who have been wound up in court in the past week have been charged with violent disorder, which has a maximum sentence of five years.

But the Sunday Times has reported that Stephen Parkinson – who leads the service once run by PM Keir Starmer – said he is preparing to enter a ‘new phase’ of cases.

That will mean ‘more serious charges with stiffer penalties’, he is quoted as saying, which suggests the CPS may choose to charge people with rioting.

Those convicted would face a maximum sentence of a decade in prison.

The Justice Secretary has said the justice system will feel a long-term fallout from the days of rioting and violent disorder.

Shabana Mahmood said the riots will set back the new Labour government’s efforts to fix the justice system, which was already facing a massive backlog of court cases and dwindling space in prisons.

Soon after being elected in July, the government announced plans to release some inmates early to free up prison space.

The Ministry of Justice has risen to the challenge of ‘bringing rapid charges against these thugs and hooligans’, including by bringing forward more than 500 prison places to make sure there is space for those the courts are sending to custody, Mahmood said.

But she said this was made more difficult by the situation her government inherited from the Conservatives.

She added: ‘The impact of these days of disorder will be felt for months and years to come. They make the job of rebuilding the justice system harder.

‘They also offer a sobering reminder of how much worse things might have been had this government not acted fast, a few weeks ago, to address the crisis in our criminal justice system before it was too late.’

Two men have been charged with violent disorder following a demo outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers.

Police were called to the hotel in Aldershot on July 31 and say the majority of people taking part acted in a peaceful manner.

However some disorder was reported and one Hampshire Police officer suffered a minor injury.

Earlier today. Jamie Lee Turvey, 34, of Montgomery Road, Farnborough, and Alby Brannan, 18, of Winchester Road, Ash, were charged with violent disorder.

They will appear at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, August 13.

Five other men who were charged with violent disorder on Friday will also appear in court on the same day: Joe Howell, 19, of Bareham Drive, Ash; Kieron Marney, 25, of Fairview Road, Ash; Perrie Fisher, 28, of Hillside Road, Farnham; Cameron Bowling, 40, of Broadhurst, Farnborough; and Clive Patfield, 60, of The Chantrys, Farnham.

Howell was also charged with assault by beating of an emergency worker.

The prime minister has cancelled his holiday plans to focus on the response to widespread rioting.

Starmer was set to head on a break in Europe with his family this weekend – but instead he’ll be working from Number 10 and Chequers.

On Friday, Sir Keir reiterated that police should remain on ‘high alert’ this weekend, in spite of several far-right demonstrations failing to materialise as planned.

He said a ramped-up police response after days of disorder and swiftly moving cases through the courts had had an impact, but his message was to stay on ‘high alert’ to ‘make sure our communities are safe and secure and feel safe and secure’.

More people appeared in court on Saturday over the recent protests as anti-racism demonstrators gathered in cities including Belfast and Edinburgh.

Earlier today we reported that a petrol bomb had been thrown at a mosque in Northern Ireland in the early hours of the morning.

Police described the attack on the mosque in Newtownards as racially motivated.

Graffiti was also sprayed on the mosque’s walls and front door – but thankfully the petrol bomb failed to ignite.

Chief Inspector Hutchinson said: ‘This is being treated as a racially motivated hate crime, and I want to send a strong message to those who carried this out, that this type of activity will not be tolerated and any reports of hate crime are taken very seriously.

‘I am appealing to anyone with any information or footage that could assist with enquiries to come forward and help to identify those responsible and put them before the courts.’

Several protests across Belfast passed off without incident on Friday, however the force is now investigating a number of overnight reports to damage to property and vehicles.

Cars were set alight in Tavanagh Street and Sandhurst Gardens in Belfast and police said both incidents are being treated as racially motivated hate crimes.

The rear door of a restaurant on Ormeau Road was also kicked with racial slurs shouted at the workers inside.