Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, are sentenced to life in prison with minimum terms of 22 and 20 years for the murder of Brianna Ghey
The pair killed 16-year-old Brianna with a hunting knife in broad daylight in a park near Warrington in February 2023
Handing down the sentence, judge Mrs Justice Yip calls the murder "brutal and sadistic"
The pair were identified earlier after the judge lifted a legal order preventing them from being named
In a statement read in court, Brianna's mother Esther says she has "never felt such grief" and her daughter "must have been so scared"
Her father Peter Spooner says: "Every day, something reminds me of Brianna and what she went through on that day"
Lawyers for the two teenagers had opposed the media application to lift the restrictions, citing the possible ramifications on their welfare
Brianna Ghey's murderers were captured on camera on the day she was killed. These sightings eventually helped police track them down.
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe stabbed Brianna to death in a park in Cheshire in February 2023.
They are due to be sentenced when the court reconvenes shortly.
Dominic Casciani
Home and legal correspondent
The judge in this trial, Mrs Justice Yip, earlier lifted the anonymity order that was preventing the media from reporting the names of Brianna’s killers, after previously citing the "exceptional" nature of this case.
Most children in England and Wales who are accused of a crime are dealt with in the youth court where their anonymity is guaranteed.
Society has long believed they need to be given a chance to learn from their mistakes. It’s different if they commit a serious act of violence.
That has to be dealt with by a crown court - and it’s up to the trial judge to decide whether to grant them anonymity.
Judges will often ban identifying a child defendant during the trial - particularly if they have concerns they are unwell or may not be able to give their best evidence amid a glare of publicity.
But many judges then regularly name children after they’re convicted of serious violence, particularly those linked to knife and gang crime. They do so because they say it’s in the interests of justice and society for every one to understand why the crime happened.
So how come you rarely hear about these cases?
Quite simply most cases are awful local crimes that do not lead to national news coverage - and there are too few local court and crime reporters these days going to court to find out what’s going on.
Harry Farley
Political correspondent
The prime minister has praised the family of Brianna Ghey for their "remarkable" courage and dignity.
Downing Street said the naming of Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe was a matter for the independent judiciary but said this was a "shocking and exceptional case".
"The prime minister’s thoughts are with Brianna’s family and friends and loved ones. The hurt that they feel is unimaginable," Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson said this morning.
"The prime minister shares the country’s horror at this despicable and cowardly murder."
He added that Downing Street would "commend Brianna's mother for her courage and dignity".
"She has been able to speak about the importance of empathy and compassion which is remarkable in a case like this."
Asked about the role of online torture videos in the case, the PM’s spokesman said: "Through the Online Safety Bill we are bringing forward tough legislation to ensure that just as those things are illegal in real life those things are made illegal online as well."
Shortly after the jury delivered its verdict back in December, Brianna Ghey’s mother said her daughter's murder will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Speaking outside the court, Esther Ghey said her daughter was "larger than life", "funny, witty and fearless".
"To know how scared my usually fearless child must have been, when she was alone in that park with someone she called her friend, will haunt me forever."
The court will be back in session in about an hour. If you're just joining us let's look back at the key points so far:
As a reminder, you will be able to watch the sentencing live by pressing Play at the top of this page.
Image source, Cheshire PoliceScarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe pictured in police mugshots
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
The court has been adjourned.
Mrs Justice Yip says she will reconvene the court at 14:15 GMT, at which point she hopes to be ready to pass her sentence on Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Littler, the lawyer representing Eddie Ratcliffe, says there is evidence to suggest that prison is "a more challenging environment" for someone with autism.
He also notes that Ratcliffe "has been exemplary at his secure unit".
"In conclusion, this was a unique case where novel but essential special measures were applied to allow Eddie to give fair evidence to the jury," Littler says.
"We invite my Lady to take the same approach to his sentencing. For him, mental health is significant.”
Littler ends his remarks by arguing that Ratcliffe's sentence should be "significantly less" than Jenkinson's.
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
In terms of mitigation, Richard Littler KC tells the court that Eddie Ratcliffe has no previous convictions.
He then turns to Ratcliffe's mental health.
Littler says he was assessed as having a high degree of intellectual function, and low social function “more like that of a seven or eight-year-old than a 16-year-old".
He also notes that Ratcliffe has "a lower than expected ability to express what he thinks, understand what is in the mind of others", as well as having a "lower than average ability to predict what others might do or to engage in social problem-solving".
Mrs Justice Yip says she is considering the defendants as separate individuals, adding that Ratcliffe has never given a truthful account.
Littler remarks that Ratcliffe's autism "lends itself to explaining in part why he involved himself in the way he did" and "puts his actions into some context".
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Richard Littler KC, counsel for Eddie Ratcliffe, says "it’s clear that Brianna suffered greatly from anxiety" and notes her vulnerability.
"That is an aggravating feature," he says, stressing again that Ratcliffe did not know Brianna.
"He would have been unaware of her anxiety," Littler tells the court, adding that it is "very clear that it is Scarlett who would have been aware of Brianna’s vulnerabilities".
He says Jenkinson told Brianna to buy a one-way child ticket to the park where she was murdered.
Littler argues that Jenkinson's sentence should be placed in an entirely different category to Ratcliffe's "as we know she made a previous attempt to poison Brianna".
Image source, PA MediaAs we follow the discussion about the prison sentence that will be handed down to the two teenage killers, let's hear a little more about Brianna from the people who knew her.
Brianna's mother has paid tribute to her daughter, describing her as "fearless to be whoever she wanted to be".
Esther Ghey told the BBC her daughter "wanted to identify as female" and to wear girls’ school uniform. "She just did it – it wasn’t a hurdle at all for her," she said.
Emma Mills, head teacher at Birchwood Community High School, where Brianna was a pupil, recalled how "Brianna didn't want to conform like other students".
"She would come in wearing the latest fashions, handbags or different coloured nails," she said, adding that rumours that Brianna had been bullied at school were untrue.
"Anyone who said anything to her would have got a short, sharp response," Mills said.
"She didn't live her life as a victim, and it was quite hard to see her portrayed in a way that wasn't true to her."
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Eddie Ratcliffe's lawyer Richard Littler KC says the case is an "unusual" one.
"The motivation between the two [killers] was different, and the aggravating features between them are different too," he tells the court.
Noting the degree of planning involved in Brianna's murder, Littler says the evidence is clear that it was Jenkinson "who first introduced the idea...who wrote the 'kill list'".
Littler also argues that Ratcliffe didn’t know Brianna "at all".
"It was Scarlett’s idea - she who decided where to do it, in a quiet spot, and where on the body to attack [Brianna]," he says.
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Ratcliffe's lawyer is now telling the court that Jenkinson sent messages to Brianna knowing she was dead.
He also says she had "no emotion in police interviews".
"This was her behaviour after the killing. We say that Eddie didn’t behave in this way after the killing," Richard Littler KC says.
Littler argues Ratcliffe's behaviour "stands in contrast" to Jenkinson's, explaining how "he made web searches including, 'how to stop worrying'".
"When one looks at sadism, it clearly applies to Scarlett, but not to Eddie - not even as an aggravating feature," the lawyer says.
Quote MessageHe was recruited. He joined a joint enterprise murder. He has been convicted of it, and he undeniably brought the murder weapon to the scene, so his minimum term should be 17 years."
Richard Littler KC
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Richard Littler KC, on behalf of Eddie Ratcliffe, says Scarlett Jenkinson "had thoughts of violence, serial killers, torture and weapons".
He notes, too, how she compiled "kill lists", researched killing methods and recruited "her own offender [Ratcliffe] to carry out the killing for her".
He also raises an incident where Jenkinson attempted to poison Brianna.
We know many of the details in this case may be distressing. If you are affected by any of the issues in this story you can contact the BBC Action Line here.
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Littler puts it to the court that Scarlett Jenkinson accepted in her post-conviction confession that Eddie Ratcliffe didn’t want to kill Brianna.
She said he started, and then she took over, because he didn’t want to do it, the lawyer says.
He adds that Jenkinson accepted stabbing Brianna “a lot” and “more times than she can remember”, saying it made her feel excited which made her do it more times.
Littler tells the court Jenkinson said she liked having complete power over someone weaker, like Brianna - "and also, we say, like Eddie".
He also notes Jenkinson saying she was "thrilled by thoughts of violence and was sexually excited by it".
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Richard Littler KC, defence counsel for Eddie Ratcliffe, says "this most definitely was a murder involving sadistic conduct - but not for Eddie".
He tells the court that two defendants can have different motivations.
"Sadism is pleasure from inflicting pain - and we submit that box is well and truly ticked for Scarlett but not for Eddie," Littler says.
He says there were "two very different people" carrying out Brianna's murder "for very different reasons".
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Back in the courtroom, lawyer Richard Littler KC says the defence submits that Eddie Ratcliffe's motive was to assist Jenkinson because he wanted to please her
The fact Brianna was transgender is "immaterial" in this case, he says.
Littler goes on to tell the court that Jenkinson's new "kill list" - which the court has heard listed names of members of staff at her secure unit - wasn’t gender specific either.
The lawyer says the offenders are "juvenile and immature", also noting Ratcliffe's "genuine diagnosis of autism".
Image source, .Away from the court briefly now, the BBC can reveal killer Scarlett Jenkinson was moved to a new school and met Brianna Ghey after drugging a younger pupil with a cannabis sweet.
Jenkinson faced being expelled but was instead moved to Birchwood Community High School in Warrington, Cheshire.
The incident involved a 13-year-old victim, who became ill afterwards. Jenkinson was aged 15 at the time.
She later tried to poison Brianna before murdering her in February 2023.
BBC News has been told Birchwood School was not aware Jenkinson had drugged another pupil. Warrington Borough Council said a review was under way.
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
We're now hearing from Richard Littler KC, speaking on behalf of Eddie Ratcliffe.
He tells the judge that the minimum term of 20 years should be applied to Scarlett Jenkinson, not to Ratcliffe.
Addressing evidence that Ratcliffe had "transphobic attitudes", Littler argues that "the evidence does not place him in the category of someone who was motivated by this.
He says names on Jenkinson's "kill list" were not gender specific, but "simply people she disliked" and Ratcliffe "simply agreed with her".
Mrs Justice Yip says she is not going to assess Ratcliffe based upon what Jenkinson has said about him.
She tells the court: “I can’t believe what Scarlett says.”
Judith Moritz
Inside the courtroom
Richard Pratt KC, representing Scarlett Jenkinson, says what she said to her psychiatrist was "as graphic as it was shocking".
Pratt says the consequence of her confession "is that she now has a clear psychiatric diagnosis - conduct dissocial disorder - in a severe form".
He goes on to describe Jenkinson as "a troubled young girl", adding that her personality disorder has developed over time.
The lawyer argues that her personality disorder should be put in the balance against "the many aggravating features" in this case.
He has now finished speaking.