Southport protests latest: Murder suspect, 17, appears in court after far-right riots erupt across UK

A 17-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murders of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is also charged with ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article following the mass stabbing on Monday.

Six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe were pronounced dead shortly after the incident, while nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar died from her injuries in hospital on Tuesday.

A 17-year-old boy has appeared in court charged with the murder of three girls who were stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.

He has been remanded into youth detention accommodation after appearing at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article following the attack on Monday.

The teenager, who cannot be legally named due to his age, will appear at Liverpool Crown Court later on Thursday.

Former England and Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard has donated £10,000 to the victims of the stabbings at a holiday club in Southport.

The former Reds captain’s donation to the Southport Dance Group Emergency Fund GoFundMe page follows another £10,000 pledge by former Everton star Anthony Gordon, now of Newcastle United.

The Merseyside footballers’ donations mean over £69,000 has now been raised on the page, which was launched “on behalf of preschool dance companies in the UK” and is pledged to go directly to families affected by Monday’s attack.

Cleveland Police Federation has condemned the disorder in Hartlepool on Wednesday night which saw several officers injured.

Federation chairman Paul Crowley said: “The disorder seen in Hartlepool last night was utterly deplorable and saw several officers requiring hospital treatment for their injuries.

“Police officers should never have to face such brutality, and every officer deserves to go home safely to their families without fear of suffering serious injury or worse.

“I condemn these disgraceful acts of mindless violence, and we will not rest until those responsible are brought to justice.

“The Cleveland Police Federation will continue to support all officers involved, including those from neighbouring forces.”

The Police Federation has demanded that “mindless violence” and “senseless attacks” on police officers “must stop now”.

“It is disgusting and unforgiveable that mindless thugs appear to be using the tragic killing of three young girls earlier this week as an excuse for random acts of violence and disorder,” Brian Booth, acting deputy chief of the group representing rank-and-file officers, told The Independent.

“There have been senseless attacks on my colleagues in Merseyside, and now we see the same spreading to other parts of the country. It is a disgrace that police officers, who are just doing their job trying to keep communities safe and protect life and property, are coming under attack.

“What is needed now is calm to allow the families and communities affected by this week’s horrific killings to slowly come to terms with this tragedy. Not mindless violence. This must stop, and it must stop now.”

A 17-year-old boy appears to have arrived at court to face charges of murdering three girls who were fatally stabbed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

A white prison van arrived at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court at around 9.30am on Thursday flanked by a large escort of police vehicles.

The teenager, from Banks in Lancashire, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article and is due in the dock later on Thursday morning.

He cannot be named as he is under 18.

The riot came after a vigil for the children who were attacked by a 17-year-old in the seaside resort. Three girls who were at a Taylor Swift holiday dance club – Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine – lost their lives, while five children and two adults are still in critical condition.

Political editor David Maddox reports:

Scenes of violent unrest broke out in London, Hartlepool and Manchester overnight while a demonstration in Aldershot saw a tense stand-off with riot police.

In London, more than 100 people were arrested after protesters in Whitehall launched beer cans and glass bottles at police and threw flares at the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

Demonstrators wearing England flags and waving banners saying “enough is enough” and “stop the boats” had congregated outside Downing Street in the wake of the killing of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport, which social media posts had wrongly claimed was carried out by a Muslim asylum seeker who crossed the Channel in a small boat.

The angry scenes also included loud chants of: “We want our country back” and: “Oh Tommy Robinson”, referring to the right-wing activist. One man wore a shirt with the slogan: “Nigel Farage for Prime Minister, Tommy Robinson for Home Secretary”.

Confrontations continued late into the night in Hartlepool, where demonstrators set fire to a police car and pelted officers with missiles, including glass bottles.

Cleveland Police have so far made eight arrests, with more expected.

Manchester police confronted another demonstration outside the Holiday Inn on Oldham Road before dispersing the crowd after protesters started throwing beer bottles at officers and members of the public.

According to the Manchester Evening News, this incident also saw chants of: “We want our country back”, while a group of men were seen jumping in the path of a bus, smashing its wing mirror and assaulting a passenger.

Aldershot appears to have escaped the violence seen in other parts of the country, but a demonstration there was still met by riot police.

The string of violent incidents follows similar scenes in Southport on Tuesday, where demonstrators attacked police and set cars on fire.