Leyland family's heartbreaking tribute to eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos takes place at Manchester Inquiry

Those were the heartbreaking words of the dad of schoolgirl Saffie Rose Roussos, eight, who was among 22 victims killed when Salman Abedi set off a bomb as 14,000 fans left an Ariana Grande concert at the venue in May 2017.

As part of an inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack, families whose loved ones were killed in the atrocity have been able to present a series of emotional 'pen portraits' - a personal insight into the lives of those who died.

Saffie, a pupil at Tarleton Primary School, had lived in Leyland with her parents Andrew and Lisa, who ran The Plaice chippy on Hough Lane.

The spirited youngster went to the Ariana Grande gig with her mum Lisa and older sister Ashlee Bromwich, who both suffered serious shrapnel injuries in the blast.

Andrew and Ashlee attended the Manchester Inquiry in person while her mum Lisa, and her brother Xander watched from home.

Many other family and friends all over the UK and Cyprus also watched online.

Her father Andrew thanked the inquiry team for their sensitivity and compassion.

He said: "How can I explain those big brown eyes?

"How can I stand here and explain to you all in words what a beautiful little girl she was?"

He described not being able to accept she isn't here and said it felt like an "out of body experience."

He added: "She captured people just by looking at them.

" We were constantly stopped in the street with people commenting how beautiful she was."

The dad shared funny memories of cheeky Saffie putting empty yoghurt pots in her brother's shoes, and recalled how she always wanted to stop and help people in need

He said: "Strength is one thing she has, just like her mum. She will fight to the end and not show her defeat in anything she faced, from smashing the record on a pogo stick to climbing the highest. "

He told viewers the first night she had a sleepover he woke at 3am panicking because he knew how 'daring' she could be.

He added: " I wanted to fetch her so I could keep her safe but knew how disappointed she would be.

"Saffie loved gymnastics and would practice and practice until it was perfect

"'Couldn't do it' wasn't Saffie's style.

"To become something in life you need to push forward and not let anything get in your way. The knocks, the bangs, the injuries never once stopped her, just a cuddle and a kiss is all she wanted."

"All she wanted was to be happy, loving and free to be a child, as every child should be."

Her sister Ashlee described her as the "most beautiful, and innocent little girl but cheeky and mischievous in her own way.

She added: " She was a born entertainer and I knew that for the rest of her life she would love to put a smile on everybody's face, even a stranger.

"I was always proud to call Saffie my sister, I still am. She was always someone I wanted to tell people about. She was more than special, a rare soul."

Speaking of her grief she said: "What I would give to see her running out of the school doors directly to me.

"Each and every one of us remains a spare part watching the world go by. I have lost the ability to feel such emotions other than grief and anger.

"How can we feel joy in our lives without Saffie? She was our joy."

"She won't get to meet my daughter but I know she would have been the most incredible aunt and role model, but my daughter will know her because we will never stop keeping her alive and taking her with us wherever we go."

Video tributes were played to the enquiry from other relatives and friends.

Saffie's best friend, who was not identified, spoke of drawing tattoos on their faces with a red Sharpie pen which would not come off, and attending a school disco with "big red blotches on our faces".

She said: "When we went to her house I'm going to have a burger because that's my favourite thing in the whole wide world.

"Our signature thing was when we were in bed and we had hot chocolate.

"When she's older I reckon she would have been a famous dancer.

" I miss her so, so much. Words can't even describe it. It's not like a normal day without Saffie. Now a normal day to us is just calm and I don't like it.

"I have dreams of Saffie waiting for me at the school gate and wake up and it isn't real.

"I feel torn, I feel broken and I just miss her so so much."

Saffie's babysitter Chloe said: " She was cheeky, charming, confident - a bit too confident sometimes - the fear factor was zero.

"Anyone in Leyland who was the lamppost outside the chip shop knows she used to make it to the top regularly.

"One thing I wish I could have had was Saffie to be able to come to my wedding, I always imagine Saffie being my bridesmaid aged 18. But she will always be that even though she's not there.

"I've never known a little girl eat a full fish all on her own aged four with a tub of curry sauce and still be sniffing around for yours after.

"If you knew Saffie you were blessed and I'll never forget her ever. She made a part of me that will never disappear. She was the unbiological little sister."

Chris Upton, headteacher of Tarleton Community Primary School, said she had an 'incredible imagination'.

He recalled: "Saffie loved outdoor learning and this was a great passion of hers in her formative years

"When asked what she wanted to learn about she said flowers as she found them both interesting and beautiful.

"Saffie's teacher felt he was a beautiful little girl inside and out. She was extremely well liked by her classmates and always had a kind word and a smile for everyone.

"She was an exceptionally gentle and caring child and would go the extra mile to make sure her friends were happy.

He recalled two of her friends arguing and Saffie did the splits in the mud to make them laugh.

He added: " Saffie was kind, generous, caring, always thinking about others and modest to a fault.

He told viewers Saffie was excited and the "envy of all her friends" when she told them she had got tickets for Christmas to see her idol Ariana Grande."

The tribute then featured Saffie's school choir performing a song with the touching line: "Our memories of you will never die", followed by a beautiful slideshow of personal videos and pictures of Saffie.

Finally, her mum Lisa addressed the inquiry, sharing precious memories of her "helpful and caring" little girl who loved to make people laugh, and her first day at school.

She added: "As Saffie grew she became more confident and outgoing.

"She remained very gentle and helpful, always giving us cuddles and leaving us little notes of 'I love you' everywhere.

" She was a sensitive soul who loved and gave generously.

" She had a way with people, she could engage with them whoever they were.

"She was special and I understood this the moment she was born.

"Saffie's school has a heritage plaque for her and a stage

"Her teacher asked me for three words to describe her. How do you find three words to describe somebody like Saffie?

"We settled in the end for 'beautiful, captivating and kind', with contributions from her friends.

"To say our lives are completely devastated is an understatement

"Saffie completed our family and was a huge part of it. The leader you might say, always taking centre stage.

She went on to say: "The day I woke up from the coma Andrew held my hand and I instantly knew.

"'Saffie has gone hasn't she?' and he replied: 'Yes.'

"I cried and begged and pleaded with him to let me die too.

"'I can look after her', I cried.

" I did die that day, inside I'm dead.

"I'm so desperate to hold her close and smell her hair and to feel her cheek on mine.

"My precious baby girl."

At the end of the pen portrait Andrew rose and addressed the leader of the inquiry about the lessons that should 'already have been learned' from 7/7.

He added: "Saffie's life is not a practice exercise for the security services of the emergency services.

Lessons should already have been learned and in place."

The inquiry, at Manchester Magistrates' Court, will hear how each of the individual victims died and hear personal evidence about them from their families.It was due to start in June, but was delayed by the trial of Abedi's brother Hashem, who was jailed for at least 55 years for 22 murders on August 20.

Public inquiries cannot determine criminal or civil liability, but do have the capacity to highlight where failings have occurred.

Among the questions being investigated is how Abedi was able to carry out the atrocity despite being known to British security services - but this part of the inquiry will take place during closed sessions, with security services explaining what was known about Salman Abedi and what steps were taken in relation to him prior to the attack.

(proceeding)