Child C6 and Child T

Child C6 and Child T

¶87. The parents of Child C6 and Child T described the devastating and long-lasting impact of the 29 July attack on their entire family. It was a day intended to be the start of a carefree summer holiday, which turned into a scene of unimaginable violence, leaving both girls deeply traumatised. Child C6 was attending in order to help the organiser, while Child T was excited to spend time with her sister and her best friend.⁷¹⁷¹ T/S: 3/5/19-14/11.

¶88. Their parents had to deal with the immediate horror of the severe injuries inflicted on Child C6, their eldest daughter, who required emergency treatment including blood transfusions and a chest drain. Child T, their youngest daughter, witnessed the attack but was initially unaware of the extent of danger. Their mother described arriving at the scene of the injured children who the emergency services were working tirelessly to treat, while she grappled with the need to help not only her daughters but also others who had been affected.

¶89. The family expressed their profound grief over the death of Alice, their youngest daughter’s best friend. Child T has struggled with the impact of this loss.

¶90. The two girls have been gravely affected. Child C6 suffers from PTSD; she has become hypervigilant and has developed a heightened sense of anxiety; and she finds it difficult to engage fully at school, with certain lessons causing distress. Her friendships have suffered, she struggles with anger and generally finds it difficult to regulate her emotions. These difficulties have been aggravated by what she perceives as the intrusion into her life by the media and on social media. Child T struggles with her feelings of grief and anxiety, displaying trauma-related behaviours which include masking her emotions up to the point at which she is overwhelmed. She has faced bullying at school, prompting a move to a new school, and she continues to try to resolve and make sense of the attack and the loss of her friend.

¶91. Their parents continue to address the consequential strain on themselves and their family. Their businesses have suffered and they face increased financial pressures. They both wrestle with a sense of guilt about what occurred, along with the challenges posed by their children’s recovery. Despite these hardships, they emphasise the resilience and bravery of their daughters, who have channelled their experiences into positive action. The girls have launched a clothing brand, ‘Go Anywhere Be Anything’, to fund charity work focused on first aid, knife crime awareness and mental health. They have volunteered at Alder Hey Hospital, in order to spread a sense of joy and to offer support to others. Despite the trauma, the family is committed to ensuring their daughters’ future is defined by resilience, hope, and positive action rather than by the events of 29 July 2024.

Child U

¶92. Child U survived the attack but is profoundly changed: she is traumatised and grieves the loss of her best friend. She is unable to talk about the majority of what occurred. In contrast with her previous life, she now avoids play and noisy spaces; she sits with a teacher during lunch; she has abandoned previously loved activities such as dancing and parties; and she cannot be left alone (her mother needs to be with her).⁷²⁷² T/S: 3/32/11-40/18.

¶93. She experiences nightmares; she is hypervigilant; she has an intense fear of knives and the sight of blood; and she experiences a sense of panic when in crowds and whenever she hears sirens or there is sudden noise. Child U has experienced a deep sense of grief and guilt, and she lost the innocence of childhood. Her mother is particularly concerned that her daughter’s distress appears to be internalised, as demonstrated by her silence.

¶94. Child U’s mother has also been traumatised. She is haunted by the memory of what occurred; her sleep has been adversely affected and she cries at night; she lives with a constant sense of anxiety and hypervigilance; and both mother and daughter feel isolated and exhausted.

¶95. Child U’s mother fears her daughter has been permanently changed by the attack and that she may carry the consequences of 29 July 2024 with her into adolescence and adulthood. They fear they face a life-long burden, as opposed to being able to recover the lives they have lost.

Child V and Child W

¶96. Sisters Child V and Child W escaped the attack but were separated in the chaos. Their parents later witnessed their bravery as captured on the CCTV footage. They are deeply grateful to those who ensured their safety.⁷³⁷³ T/S: 6/2/11-8/5.

¶97. After the event, Child V and Child W struggled to understand what had happened, and they initially described to their parents that someone had come into the class with a “fake knife and fake blood”. However, thereafter they became fearful, anxious and tearful. Exits to rooms now need to be identified and they fear a return by the attacker. Child V has developed a nervous verbal and physical tic, and Child W created a “Worry World” in therapy. Both remain cautious. They are fearful of sirens; they are unwilling to go to unfamiliar places; and a year after the attack they still cling closely to each other if they have not been together during the day. They are not the same children and their “spark” and former carefree joy have faded.

¶98. Both parents have been diagnosed with PTSD/complex post-trauma stress disorder (CPTSD), experience flashbacks, and there have been lasting changes in their daily lives. They expressed their gratitude for the continuing help they receive from their family, friends, Victim Support, Alder Hey Hospital and their children’s school. They observe “It has taken a village”. They refuse to let fear define their daughters’ futures. They remain committed to helping them live with love, joy and hope, and they are inspired by their resilience. They paid tribute to the other families, especially those who lost children, and stressed the importance of the Inquiry as a means of securing change and accountability.

Child X

¶99. Child X survived by hiding in the upstairs lavatory cubicle while Mrs Liddle shielded the door. Although physically unharmed, she was terrified and has since lived with daily trauma. She experiences significant anxiety and is permanently fearful. She struggles with flashbacks and nightmares, and she has become fixated on what occurred. She has a sense of guilt that she survived while others died. She has lost her ability to be independent, constantly needing reassurance, and she is unable to leave her mother. This has resulted in a severe restriction in the activities she used to enjoy.⁷⁴⁷⁴ T/S: 6/15/23-24/17.

¶100. Following the attack, her mother now suffers from PTSD, including intrusive flashbacks. The trauma she has experienced, along with the need to support her daughter, have caused her to resign from her demanding job. She also now lives in a constant state of hypervigilance, and she is fearful whenever her daughter is out of sight. The wider family have been deeply affected by what occurred. Alongside their relief that Child X survived, they are haunted by the realisation of what could have happened. They are conscious of her invisible but lifelong wounds.

¶101. Child X’s mother, as with other parents, urged the Inquiry to provide answers and to be an instrument in ensuring that systemic change results in safeguards which prevent a recurrence of this kind of event.

Other psychological victims

¶102. Before leaving the impact and commemorative evidence, it is right to emphasise additionally that those who attended the scene in the immediate aftermath of the attack, providing first aid and diverse other forms of assistance, deserve separate mention. Lives were saved and desperately needed help was provided in circumstances which have had a profound impact on all those who helped the young victims, Ms Lucas, Mrs Liddle and Mr Hayes. Their contribution, together with the impact this event had on them, should not be forgotten, and I address this further in the following chapter dealing with the attack.