CCTV shows Southport stabbings suspect in the hour before attack

CCTV obtained by ITV News shows the Southport stabbings suspect in the hour before the attack, ITV News UK Editor Paul Brand reports

ITV News has obtained CCTV footage of the Southport stabbing suspect walking down a residential street in the Banks area of Southport, hours before three children were killed and several other people were critically injured.

The footage was captured just after 11am on Monday morning and appears to show an individual wearing a face mask and a green hoodie, with the hood up.

The individual is seen with their head down with the CCTV time-stamped at 11.11am, walking calmly past a street of residential houses on Hoole Lane. He appears to glance into the window of a house before walking off camera.

Five minutes later, at 11.16am, the individual returns, hand in pocket. It’s unclear where he went in those intervening minutes when he was out of vision.

Within walking distance of the images is a social club, where drama classes for children were due to take place later on Monday afternoon, ITV News understands.

A skatepark on Hesketh Avenue and a convenience store is also nearby.

The same masked individual was captured on camera again minutes later, on separate CCTV footage obtained by ITV News and released on Monday.

The individual appears to be wearing the same green hoodie.

That CCTV footage appears to show the suspect pacing agitatedly outside of a house near Old School Close that was later that afternoon raided by police.

The house is a 15 minute drive to Hart Street, where the attacks took place. Emergency services were called to the scene of the stabbing at 11.47am.

After walking back to Old School Close, it is believed the individual was picked up in a taxi and taken to Hart Street.

Watch: Footage previously obtained by ITV News shows a masked figure pacing outside a house that was raided by police in Southport

Two hours after the attacks, CCTV shows armed police arriving at the scene of the property on Old School Close.

Neighbours saw two adults taken out of the house and put into separate police cars where they were held for several hours.

ITV News understands they have been taken to a safe house.

Merseyside Police confirmed earlier this week that a 17-year-old boy, from Cardiff, has been arrested in connection to the stabbing.

He is currently being questioned on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

The victims have been named as six-year-old Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in a critical condition, alongside two adults who were critically injured.