A grandad has recalled his terrifying account of being stabbed by the Southport murderer, Axel Rudakubana, last summer. John Hayes said he “grappled” with the killer after running into the scene of horror. After hearing a “commotion” coming from the dance class while at work, he went into the community centre where he was met by Rudakubana. “My initial feeling was one of terror, seeing a man wielding a bloody knife,” he told a public inquiry.
“That quickly turned to horror as I witnessed critically injured children and began to realise what was happening. I grappled with the attacker and fell to the floor.” Rudakubana murdered Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and injured a further nine children. After John confronted the attacker, he was stabbed.
At first, the grandad did not realise that he had been injured until he noticed the blood pouring from his leg. While lying on the floor, he said Rudakubana was “still there in front of” him, meaning he “contend with the possibility he was going to come back and try to finish me off”.
The blade went 10cm into his leg, describing the scene “like something from a horror movie, it was like someone had painted the walls red”.
One colleague tried to bandage his wound, while another shut the door, the inquiry heard.
While on the way to the hospital, John recalls believing he was dying at “every stage” of the journey. The grandad is now too scared to work alone after the horrific attack, and has been diagnosed with PTSD.
“I wouldn’t say what happened has dented my enthusiasm for life, but you can’t go through something like that and not be impacted,” he told the inquiry.
“I find it harder to enjoy things than I did previously. In some ways, my world has got a bit smaller, and I feel vulnerable outside our bubble.
“However, I am a survivor, and I am grateful to all those who played a part in enabling me to say that.”
The inquiry is probing into whether the attack could have been prevented, given the killer’s history. Rudakubana reportedly had a “sickening interest in death”, and was referred to the anti-terror programme Prevent on three occasions.
The Southport killer was jailed for life after pleading guilty to three counts of murder, ten of attempted murder, and admitted two terror offences after police found ricin and an Al-Qaeda manual at his home.