Brianna Ghey’s killers named for first time as they’re sentenced

The two teenage killers of Brianna Ghey, known only as Girl X and Boy Y have been named during their sentencing today.

Brianna was stabbed to death 28 times after the pair lured the 16-year-old to Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington, Cheshire, on February 11th last year.

The two teenagers, both 15 at the time, murdered Brianna, who was transgender, in a ‘frenzied and ferocious’ attack before fleeing the scene.

A couple of dog walkers spotted Brianna’s lifeless body lying on the ground of the park, shortly after 3pm, as the girl and boy were seen running away.

Today (Friday, February 2nd), the teenagers have been handed their fate in a sentencing at Manchester Crown Court where their identities have now been revealed as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.

A handwritten note was discovered in the bedroom of Girl X during a police search which showed a list of names including Brianna’s. Part of the note read: “Saturday 11th February 2023. Victim: Brianna Ghey.”

Jenkinson, of Glebeland, Culcheth; and Ratcliffe, of Imperial Drive, Leigh, both now aged 16, were found guilty of Brianna’s murder on Wednesday (December 20th) in a four-week trial held at Manchester Crown Court.

Following the verdict, Brianna’s mother Esther said the pair had not shown an ‘ounce of remorse’ throughout the whole trial and that she had lost ‘all sympathy’ for them.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe are facing life in prison for the brutal killing of Brianna Ghey.

Brianna went to Birchwood High School where Jenkinson moved to after being ‘excluded’ from Culcheth High School following an incident involving ‘drugs being passed to another kid’.

Brianna trusted Jenkinson and regarded her as a friend, believing they were going to hang out as they had done before on February 11th, 2023.

Prosecutors heard how Jenkinson’s attitude towards Brianna had ‘changed’, and she only ‘pretended to like’ her while devising a plot to kill her.

The murder weapon used was a hunting knife, found by police in Ratcliffe’s bedroom, which was purchased on a skiing holiday in Bulgaria.

Ratcliffe said he used it for self-harm but the blade was found to have Brianna’s blood on it.

He had never met Brianna before, had made hateful comments towards her in the weeks prior to her murder. Ratcliffe referred to Brianna as ‘it’ and asked whether she was a ‘femboy’ or a ‘tr****’.

As he sat in the dock, Ratcliffe scribbled in a Sudoku magazine as the horrifying ‘999’ call made by the dogwalkers who found Brianna’s body was played in court.

Deanna Heer KC told the court that Jenkinson admitted to a psychiatrist that she ‘did enjoy the feeling of stabbing’ of Brianna, and that she ‘did enjoy the feeling of power that it gave her’.

Ahead of the sentencing of Jenkinson and Ratcliffe, Brianna’s mum told the court she had ‘never felt such grief’.

In Manchester Crown Court today, the Judge, Mrs Justice Yip handed the pair their fate as Jenkinson was sentenced to 22 years minimum jail term and Ratcliffe was sentenced to 20 years minimum term.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe will be detained for at least the amount of time they have each been given, before the Parole Board can decide whether it is safe to release them. After this, they can only be released if they no longer pose a danger.

“If you remain a danger you will serve very much longer than the minimum term and may never be released,” Mrs Justice Yip said.