Brianna Ghey’s killers named as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe
The two 15-year-old killers of Brianna Ghey have been named as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.
The pair, identified throughout the trial as Girl X and Boy Y, and who are now 16, spent weeks planning the attack on Brianna, a transgender teenager who was anxious and rarely went out alone. She was 16 when she was killed on Feb 11 last year.
After posing as her friends and arranging to meet her at Linear Park in Culcheth, Cheshire, Jenkinson and Ratcliffe ambushed her and stabbed her 28 times in an attack of shocking brutality.
Following their arrest, the pair sought to deny responsibility and blame one another for the murder.
The teenagers had automatic anonymity throughout the legal proceedings because of their age, preventing them from being publicly identified.
However, following an application by the press, which was supported by Brianna’s family, Mrs Justice Yip, the trial judge, said the anonymity order would be lifted when the teenage killers were sentenced for the murder.
Lawyers for the pair tried to persuade the judge to keep the anonymity order in place, arguing that there could be potential ramifications on their welfare and consequences for their families.
However, announcing that they could be named when sentencing took place, Mrs Justice Yip said: “There is a strong public interest in the full and unrestricted reporting of what is plainly an exceptional case.”
Ratcliffe has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is non-verbal, while Jenkinson has traits of autism and ADHD.
Speaking after the verdicts, Esther Ghey, Brianna’s mother, urged people to show compassion to the parents of the teenagers convicted of murdering her daughter.
Speaking about the teenagers themselves, she added: “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.”
The trial heard how Brianna, who was born a boy but was living, dressing and referring to herself as female, had thousands of followers on TikTok. Despite this, she was a withdrawn, shy and anxious teenager who struggled with depression and rarely left her home.
The court heard that both defendants, who were from good homes, had a fascination with violence, torture and murder and had planned the killing for weeks.
The trial was told that the pair had a “kill list” of at least four other victims before finally settling on Brianna as their target.
Police said while there was no firm evidence that Brianna had been targeted because she was trans, in text messages exchanged before the killing, the murderers discussed whether Brianna would “scream like a boy or a girl”.
