Yoga instructor Leanne Lucas, who was stabbed in the Southport knife attack, has said she believes the killer “targeted us because we were women and girls, vulnerable and easy prey”.

Speaking at Liverpool Crown Court ahead of the sentencing of Axel Rudakubana, the 36-year-old read out her victim impact statement, and said she had previously worked with teenagers and “never would have considered that they would hurt me or hurt younger children”.

“To discover that he had always set out to hurt the vulnerable is beyond comprehensible,” she said.

She said she had “endured three hospital stays where I undertook multiple surgeries and received treatment”.

“At a time where home comforts may have helped me, I sat staring at hospital walls further impacting my mental health.”

She said the trauma had been “horrendous” and she was “trying to see the goodness in the world”.

Ms Lucas said there were “scars we cannot unsee” and she was struggling with trusting others and herself.

“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot walk down the street without holding my breath as I bypass a person and then glance back to see if they’ve attempted to stab me.

“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot enter a public place without considering how I will get out in the event of an emergency.

“As a 36-year-old woman I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died.”

Ms Lucas said she had considered her work as providing a “safe haven” to help families in Southport by highlighting “goodness and positivity”.

“I never thought this was going to happen to me and now my mindset has been altered to it could happen to you and it will probably happen to you,” she said.

“I feel that I have lost the ability to accept people now as they are.”

She said she felt she had “now lost my role, my purpose and my job as I can no longer provide that guidance and reassurance to anyone”.

Ms Lucas continued: “I feel like I can no longer be trusted again, I know people will disagree and say that is not true however his actions have proven I can never feel that level of responsibility again where there may be dangers to others.”

She concluded her statement by saying: “For Alice, Elsie, Bebe, Heidi and the surviving girls, I’m surviving for you.”

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