Brianna Ghey’s mother calls for empathy as judge rules teenage killers can be named – live

Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in a park near Warrington in February

Barrister explains why Brianna Ghey’s teenage murderers could be named

Brianna Ghey’s mother has called for empathy and compassion for the parents of her daughter’s killers as a judge has ruled the two teenage murderers can be named.

Esther Ghey called for “empathy and compassion” for the pair’s families as “they too have lost a child” and “must live the rest of their lives knowing what their child has done”.

Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip praised Ms Ghey for her “fortitude and humanity” at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday.

During the hearing, the judge also said the young killers can be identified by the media when they are sentenced on 2 February, lifting the anonymity orders previously protecting the defendants’ identities due to their age.

Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February.

Following a four-week trial, the two teenagers accused, currently only identified as girl X and boy Y, both now aged 16 but 15 at the time, were convicted of murder on Wednesday and are now facing mandatory jail terms for life.

Key Points

• Brianna Ghey’s mother commended after call for compassion for killers’ parents
• Judge rules teenage killers can be named
• Two teenagers convicted of murdering Brianna Ghey in brutal park stabbing
• Brianna’s mother will not forgive ‘fearless’ daughter’s killers

[20 December 2023 18:27 · Andy Gregory]

Kill lists, Sweeney Todd and the dark web: How torture-obsessed teens plotted Brianna Ghey’s murder

A teenage girl with a fascination for serial killers watched her favourite film Sweeney Todd as she and a teenage boy put the finishing touches to a meticulous plan for a brutal murder.

The following day, the girl lured transgender teenager Brianna Ghey to a park in Culcheth, near Warrington, having already tried and failed to kill the 16-year-old with an overdose of ibuprofen. In a frenzied attack, the young killers stabbed Brianna 28 times with a hunting knife, the first victim from their “kill list” of at least five child targets.

Now convicted of Brianna’s murder following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, the pair are facing mandatory jail terms for life.

Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, argued the digital evidence recovered from the pair’s phones showed they were preoccupied with torture, murder and death.

X, who described herself as a Satanist, told the jury she began to fantasise about killing people from as young as age 14, around the time she began to take an interest in “dark materials”, such as films of murder, torture and serial killers found on the dark web via an app she had downloaded.

As early as October, X and Y had discussed the killing of another child, boy M, in messages shown to jurors, with X saying: “If we kill boy M, can I keep some things, a couple of teeth and an eye.”

The girl said she had a knife like the one used by the murderous barber Sweeney Todd, a character she appeared to idolise after having seen the film of the same name “9,000 times”.

My colleague Tara Cobham has more in this report:

[20 December 2023 18:25 · Andy Gregory]

Watch: Brianna Ghey’s parents deliver statements

[20 December 2023 18:18 · Andy Gregory]

Was Brianna Ghey’s murder a transphobic hate crime?

The frenzied fatal stabbing of a transgender teenager in a public park on a Saturday afternoon led to worldwide protests and vigils against perceived transphobia.

But Brianna Ghey was not murdered by two teens, identified only as girl X and boy Y, because she was transgender, detectives believe.

The four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court heard boy Y used ‘dehumanising’ language, talking about Brianna, referring to her as an ‘it’ and referring to her as a “tranny” or “femboy.”

But it will ultimately be up to the trial judge Mrs Justice Yip to decide if hatred of transgender people played any part in her death.

Pat Hurst has the full report:

[20 December 2023 18:06 · Andy Gregory]

Killers have not shown ounce of remorse, says Brianna Ghey’s mother

Brianna Ghey’s mother has said she has lost any sympathy she once had for the two teenagers convicted of her “fearless” daughter’s murder, after “seeing neither display an ounce of remorse”.

Speaking outside court after the verdicts, Brianna’s mother Esther Ghey said: “To now know how scared my usually fearless child must have been when she was alone in the park with someone that she called her friend will haunt me forever.

“Prior to the trial, I have had moments where I felt sorry for the defendants because they have ruined their own lives as well as ours.

“But now, knowing the true nature of the two and seeing neither display an ounce of remorse for what they have done to Brianna, I have lost any sympathy that I previously had for them, and I am glad that they will spend many years in prison and away from society.”

Esther Ghey described her daughter as fearless (Peter Byrne/PA)

[20 December 2023 17:57 · Tara Cobham]

‘Arrogant’ killers ‘wanted to prove that they could’, top police officer suggests

Speaking outside court after the two teenagers were convicted of Brianna Ghey’s murder, Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Evans, head of crime at Cheshire Police, said: “I’m not sure fun is the word, but I think they killed her because they wanted to prove that they could, or that sort of thirst for killing.

“I don’t think there was any motive behind it so possibly, fun? Enjoyment is the right word.”

Mr Evans also branded the killers “arrogant” believing they would not be caught as girl X claimed the local police were “s****”.

[20 December 2023 17:54 · Tara Cobham]

Teenagers guilty of murdering schoolgirl Brianna Ghey in brutal park stabbing

A boy and a girl have been found guilty of the brutal murder of teenager Brianna Ghey.

Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February.

The two teenagers accused, identified only as girl X and boy Y, both now aged 16 but 15 at the time, had denied murder and each blamed the other for the killing, described as “horrific” by detectives.

After a jury of seven men and five women convicted the two within five hours, the defendants are both facing mandatory jail terms for life.

You can read the full report here:

[20 December 2023 17:52 · Andy Gregory]

We’ll be using this blog to cover the latest updates after two teenagers were found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Brianna Ghey.