Summary

  • 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

Live Reporting

Edited by Alex Therrien and Nathan Williams

  1. Watch: 'My heart bleeds every day' - Brianna’s father

    Peter Spooner says he knew the teen would be a star and was "so proud" of what she did.

    Brianna Ghey was “deprived of the life she wanted to live”, her father said after the trial concluded last year.

    Visibly choking up while he was speaking outside court, Peter Spooner said he was “so proud of what she could do” and “knew she was going to be a star”.

    You can watch the moment he delivered his statement above.

  2. Doorbell footage of day Brianna died

    The jury in the Brianna Ghey see footage of the 16-year-old leaving home.

    During the trial, the jury was shown doorbell footage of Brianna Ghey leaving her home for the last time on the day she died.

    The video, which you can watch below, shows the the schoolgirl looking at her mobile phone as she checked the door was locked before walking down the path and out of the gate.

  3. 'She was fearless', Brianna's mother says

    Brianna Ghey with her motherFamily handout

    Shortly after the two teenagers were convicted of murder, Brianna's mother spoke of her devastation.

    Esther Ghey told the BBC: "The only way I can describe it is, there's a hole in my heart.

    "I know for a fact I will never get over this."

    She also paid tribute to her daughter, describing her as "fearless to be whoever she wanted to be".

    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."

    You can read more about Brianna here

  4. How killers tried to cover up the murder

    Lauren Hirst
    BBC News

    Police cars at the scene of the attackPA

    Within 24 hours of the murder of Brianna Ghey, investigating officers had identified the suspects - two teenagers who thought that hiding the most brutal of killings would be easy.

    A court heard how their web of deceit began shortly after the killing, when the pair began to craft what they thought would be a subtle cover story.

    Girl X messaged boy Y to say a "woman got stabbed" in the park. "Holy crap" was boy Y's reply.

    The following day, girl X messaged Brianna saying: "Girl, is everything okay? Some teenage girl got killed in Linear Park its on news everywhere.

    “And why did you ditch us for some random man from Manchester. Like wtf."

    Once their lies unravelled, the truth that emerged was that both had a fascination with violence, torture and murder and had planned the killing for weeks.

    Det Ch Supt Evans said the police may never know exactly what motivated the teenagers to act.

    "I don't think many of us have ever seen the level of depravity shown and the dehumanising nature of the text messages between the two, and the hatred towards Brianna and others for no reason whatsoever," he said.

  5. Killers of Brianna Ghey to be sentenced and named

    Alex Therrien
    Live reporter

    Brianna GheyFamily handout

    The murder of Brianna Ghey last February shocked the country - a 16-year-old transgender student stabbed to death in a ferocious attack in broad daylight in a park in Cheshire.

    Her family have spoken of their devastation, sadness and grief, with her mother describing the “hole in my heart” caused by Brianna’s death.

    Today, the two teenagers convicted of murdering Brianna will be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court.

    We are also expecting them to be named for the first time after the judge previously said she would remove anonymity order that protects the identities of under-18s in court.

    Mrs Justice Yip said there was "a strong public interest in the full and unrestricted reporting of what is plainly an exceptional case".

    Stay with us as we bring you live coverage from here in London and at the court.