Alice da Silva Aguiar

¶11. Alice was a much wanted and deeply loved child who was born after fertility treatment. From birth she was cherished. She was a beautiful baby with jet-black hair and large brown eyes, known for her happiness, warmth and contentment. She grew into a bright, caring and outgoing girl who loved people, music, dancing and going to school. Of these, dance was her greatest passion, expressed through ballet as a toddler, street dancing and cheerleading.⁵¹⁵¹ T/S: 7/21/15-33/14. She was lively, sociable, and conscientious, rarely missing school and thriving in her friendships. She was playful, affectionate and mischievous, sharing a close bond with her parents and her pet cat, Niko.

¶12. On 29 July 2024, the lives of Alexandra and Sergio da Silva Aguiar were shattered when their only child was fatally attacked. They described this date as the day their “perfect, happy, loving, safe family unit” was forever destroyed.

¶13. Their family life was centred around Alice. She adored holidays in Madeira with her grandparents, she greatly enjoyed her skincare and make-up routines, and she played pranks on her father. She dreamed of becoming a dance teacher and a vet, as well as travelling the world. Her parents had promised to give her the childhood they themselves never had, and they described her as their “world” and the heart of their family.

¶14. On the morning of the attack, Alice was excited to be spending a few days packed with dancing, a birthday party and a trip to Gulliver’s World. Her mother, Alexandra, dropped her off at the Hart Space, never imagining the horror that would follow. On returning to collect Alice, she was confronted with chaos, the injured children, blood on the walls and cries of terror. She frantically searched for Alice until she finally found her, gravely injured. Alice was treated by the emergency services and taken to Southport Hospital, and then to Alder Hey, where her parents endured the agony of 13 hours waiting before she tragically died.

¶15. Alice’s parents described how their lives are now haunted by the traumatic consequences of what occurred and their feelings of guilt and devastation. They constantly replay the events, and they are tormented by their decision to leave Alice at the class and the horror of the scene they witnessed. Their lives are filled with grief. Even simple routines feel unbearable. They grieve not only the child they lost but also the future of which she was robbed, including the milestones of her time at school, concerts, friendships and her later adult life.

¶16. The impact of what occurred is all pervasive and permanent. Their only child, for whom they built their lives in the United Kingdom, was violently taken, leaving them broken and traumatised. They asked that Alice – “the most loveable, caring, beautiful, funny little girl” – be remembered throughout the Inquiry proceedings.