The 16-year-olds convicted of killing a transgender teenager in northwest England over a year ago were named in court on Friday after the judge removed a gag order on disclosing their identity.
At Manchester Crown Court, Justice Amanda Yip relaxed the restrictions on naming Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe as the murders of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey in a brutal murder that rocked the nation.
Brianna was led to a park in Warrington and stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife in broad daylight on February 11, 2023. Police believe she was killed because she was defenseless and approachable, and that her death was not motivated by hatred but by “enjoyment” and a “thirst for killing.”
Under English law, teenage offenders are normally protected by restrictions that prevent them from being identified until they become 18. Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were previously known as Girl X and Boy Y, and they were 15 years old at the time of the killing.
However, after they were convicted guilty last month, Yip stated that there was a “strong public interest in the full and unrestricted reporting of what is plainly an exceptional case.” Lawyers for the two contended that naming them would have consequences for their well-being.
Jenkinson and Ratcliffe face mandatory life sentences. The judge was hearing victim impact testimonies from Brianna’s family and experts before deciding how long they would have to serve in jail before becoming eligible for parole later Friday.
Brianna’s father, Peter Spooner, told the court that being the parent of a transgender kid — Brianna was formerly known as Brett — was “a difficult thing to deal with,” but that he was “proud to gain another beautiful daughter.”
“We were forming a new relationship and these two murderers have stolen that from us both,” he went on to say. “Justice may have been done with the guilty verdicts, but no amount of time spent in prison will be enough for these monsters.”
The accused denied killing Brianna and blamed one another for the fatal stabbing. It is unclear who wielded the knife or whether both did. Neither had ever been in problems with the cops before. Last month, a jury found the two guilty after a four-week trial.
The trial heard that the accused were clever and had an interest in violence, torture, and serial killers. They had planned the attack for weeks, as described in a handwritten blueprint and phone texts discovered by authorities. They also talked of killing others, prompting police early in the inquiry to rule out transphobia as a motive for Brianna’s murder.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer presented a statement to the court from Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, in which she stated that the most difficult thing for her to accept was learning that Jenkinson, one of those charged with Brianna’s murder, was someone she thought was her daughter’s friend.
She said she was relieved when Brianna texted her on the day of her death, claiming she was going to see a friend.
“I imagined she’d have a great day hanging out with her pal and getting some fresh air. “All the while she was being lured to her death,” she stated.
“All I can think about is how scared she would have been if I hadn’t been there for her.” She wanted me to protect her; Brianna wasn’t a fighter and must have been afraid,” she explained.