Hundreds of mourners have lined the streets of Southport for the funeral of Alice da Silva Aguiar, one of three young girls killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance class.
Emotional tributes were paid to the nine-year-old as her parents were joined by up to 300 family members and friends at St Patrick’s Catholic Church on Sunday, including the paramedics, police officers and firefighters who tried to save her life.
Dressed in white, her father Sergio and mother Alexandra praised their “beloved angel” during the service, saying she was dedicated to dance and hoped that she would “keep dancing”, before later releasing a series of photographs of Alice, which included a number relating to her dancing passion.
Among the pictures is an image of Alice waiting to get into the Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July, smiling with a life-size cardboard cut-out of the singer in the doorway of the Hart Space studio.
The youngster – who is pictured wearing leggings, trainers and a T-shirt with the slogan Vacay Vibes – was killed in the mass stabbing in the Merseyside town, along with Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, near the start of their summer holidays.
Members of the public lined Marshside Road on Sunday as Alice’s funeral cortege arrived, along with about 30 uniformed police officers, with pink ribbons and balloons seen tied to lamp posts and garden walls. Applause broke out as the carriage, drawn by two white horses sporting orange and white plumes and containing the youngster’s white coffin, approached the church entrance.
Several hundred people then packed into the church, while more listened outside as the service was relayed on loudspeakers.
In an address to their daughter given on their behalf, Alice’s parents said: “Dear Alice, you were our perfect dream child, everything was idyllic from the moment you arrived.
“A good girl, with strong values and kind nature. 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.
“Being around you was a privilege, we cherished every milestone. You completed us. In nine short years, we never needed time off from you.”
They went on: “We feel shocked, unimaginable pain, we miss you.
“From time to time, the pin drops. When mommy says ‘good night, Sergio, good night Alice’ and then it hits us all over again. We don’t hear you back.
“Moving forward will be hard ... But we made a promise to always be there for each other in moments of despair ... We are surrounded by a wonderful community and their full support ... We have the full support of the country ... For that, we’re thankful.
“For now, our beloved Angel, keep dancing, mummy and daddy will always, always love you.”
Parish priest Fr John Heneghan said Alice was a regular at Mass at St Patrick’s church and noted she had a “smile more radiant than the sun”.
In an emotional tribute, Alice’s headteacher at Churchtown Primary School also listed her smile as well as her enthusiasm for life among her qualities.
Speaking through tears, Jinnie Payne read a poem about her pupil, called Here Comes Alice , in which she said: “The time has come to say ‘there goes Alice’. We are letting you go dancing now, Alice. Teach those angels a few dance moves.”
The chief constable of Merseyside Police praised Alice’s parents for their “courage” in calling for violent riots to stop after their daughter’s death.
Serena Kennedy told the congregation: “You [Alice’s parents] have shown great courage in asking me to be here today to give a message from you, Alice’s family, to say that you do not want there to be any more violence on the streets of the United Kingdom in the name of your daughter.
“I am ashamed and I’m so sorry that you had to even consider this in the planning of the funeral of your beautiful daughter, Alice.
“And I hope that anyone who has taken part in the violent disorder on our streets over the past 13 days is hanging their head in shame at the pain that they have caused you, a grieving family.
“I know that you asked that there is no more violence and that you are now given time as a family to grieve in peace, and that our traumatised community is allowed time to heal, the time it needs to start to heal.”
Labour’s Southport MP Patrick Hurley added: “There are no adequate words to express the town’s shock and distress at the atrocity which befell Alice and the other little girls two weeks ago.”
Earlier this week Alice’s parents also attended a celebration of life service at St Patrick’s for Alice, which is traditional in their home country of Portugal one week after a loved one has died.
Eight other children who were injured in the attack on 29 July have all now been discharged from hospital and are recovering at home.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, was charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder in connection with the tragedy.
Soon after the attack, false claims about the suspect’s identity and background were spread widely online, sparking far-right riots that erupted across the country, with more than 770 people arrested over the violent disorder, of whom more than 340 have been charged.
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