Brianna Ghey’s mother calls for empathy as judge rules teenage killers can be named – live
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
Watch: Brianna Ghey’s headteacher pays tribute to ‘determined and fearless’ student
Thursday 21 December 2023 19:00 , Tara Cobham
Was Brianna Ghey’s murder a transphobic hate crime?
Thursday 21 December 2023 18:00 , Tara Cobham
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 reports:
Was Brianna Ghey’s murder a transphobic hate crime?
Watch: Barrister explains why Brianna Ghey's teenage murderers could be named
Thursday 21 December 2023 17:00 , Tara Cobham
In pictures: Statements by police and Brianna Ghey’s family in wake of verdicts
Thursday 21 December 2023 16:00 , Tara Cobham
Which other young killers have been named by courts?
Thursday 21 December 2023 15:00 , Tara Cobham
The media will be able to report the identities of Brianna Ghey’s killers when they are sentenced next February after a ruling by a Crown Court judge.
Children appearing in youth or crown courts in England and Wales, whether as a victim, witness or defendant, generally cannot be identified if they are under the age of 18.
However, anonymity orders can be lifted by judges. Here are some previous examples:
Brianna Ghey murder: Which other young killers have been named by courts?
Brianna Ghey’s mother commended after call for compassion for killers’ parents
Thursday 21 December 2023 14:18 , Tara Cobham
The mother of Brianna Ghey has been praised by a judge for her “fortitude and humanity” after she called for empathy and compassion for the parents of her daughter’s killers.
Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back after being lured to Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of February 11.
After the teenage killers were convicted, Brianna’s mother Esther Ghey called for “empathy and compassion” for their families as “they too have lost a child” and “must live the rest of their lives knowing what their child has done”.
Ted Hennessey reports:
Brianna Ghey’s mother commended after call for compassion for killers’ parents
Judge says it is ‘inevitable’ defendants would be named when they turn 18
Thursday 21 December 2023 14:00 , Tara Cobham
In coming to her ruling to allow the unmasking of the defendants, trial judge Mrs Justice Yip also said it was “inevitable” they would be named eventually as the order banning their identification would have lapsed in 2025, when they turned 18.
“Continuing the reporting restrictions until the defendants turn 18 would, in my view, represent a substantial and unreasonable restriction on the freedom of the press,” she ruled.
Teenage murderers of Brianna Ghey can be named, judge rules
Thursday 21 December 2023 13:06 , Tara Cobham
Murderers of teenager Brianna Ghey will be named by the media when they are sentenced, a judge has ruled.
Mrs Justice Yip ordered the press can identify the teens responsible for the “frenzied and ferocious” attack on Brianna, 16, stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back after being lured to Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of February 11.
Her killers both tried to blame each other for the stabbing but on Wednesday were both found guilty of murder by a jury at Manchester Crown Court following a four week trial.
Pat Hurst reports:
Teenage murderers of Brianna Ghey can be named, judge rules
Judge rules teenage killers can be named
Thursday 21 December 2023 12:05 , Tara Cobham
Murderers of Brianna Ghey will be named by the media when they are sentenced, a judge has ruled.
Mrs Justice Yip ordered the press can identify the teenagers responsible for the “frenzied and ferocious” attack on the 16-year-old.
Her killers both tried to blame each other for the stabbing but on Wednesday were both found guilty of murder by a jury at Manchester Crown Court following a four-week trial.
Throughout the trial, media had been ordered not to name the defendants, identified only as girl X and boy Y – both now aged 16 but 15 at the time.
On Thursday trial judge Mrs Justice Yip ruled an order banning identification be lifted after representations on behalf of the media made by the national news agency, PA Media and ITN. Brianna’s family supported the media application.
Lawyers for both defendants, currently held in secure youth accommodation, opposed the media application, citing the possible ramifications on their welfare and consequences for their families, including death threats received by girl Y’s family.
Mrs Justice Yip lifted the banning order but imposed a stay on the order, until the defendants are sentenced on February 2 next year, when they can then be publicly named by the media. Both face a mandatory life sentence for murder.
Mrs Justice Yip ruled: “There is a strong public interest in the full and unrestricted reporting of what is plainly an exceptional case.”
Brianna Ghey’s headteacher pays tribute to ‘determined and fearless’ student
Thursday 21 December 2023 10:30 , Tara Cobham
The headteacher of murdered Brianna Ghey has paid tribute, describing the teenager as “determined and fearless” as the identity of her killers could today (Thursday, 21 December) be revealed.
Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times after being lured to Linear Park in Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February.
Her killers, 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 of the transgender teenager.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, headteacher Emma Mills spoke of her sadness following Brianna’s death.
Lucy Leeson reports:
Brianna Ghey’s headteacher pays tribute to ‘determined and fearless’ student
How torture-obsessed teens plotted Brianna Ghey’s murder
Thursday 21 December 2023 09:51 , Tara Cobham
Ateenage 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.
Read more here:
How a serial killer-obsessed teenage girl plotted Brianna Ghey’s brutal murder
Why Brianna Ghey’s teenage killers could be named
Thursday 21 December 2023 09:00 , Tara Cobham
A judge will decide whether to lift anonymity orders protecting the identities of Brianna Ghey’s teenage killers, and allow the media to publish their names, at a hearing today (21 December).
Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times after being lured to Linear Park in Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February.
Her killers, 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 of the transgender teenager.
Barrister Kirsty Brimelow KC appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday to explain why the teenage killers could now be named.
Lucy Leeson reports:
Why Brianna Ghey’s teenage killers could be named
Judge to decide if media can publish names of Brianna Ghey’s teenage killers
Thursday 21 December 2023 08:25 , Tara Cobham
A judge will decide whether to lift anonymity orders protecting the identities of Brianna Ghey’s teenage killers, and allow the media to publish their names, at a hearing on Thursday.
Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back after being lured to Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of February 11.
Her killers, 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 of the transgender teenager, described as “horrific” by detectives.
Ellie Ng reports:
Judge to decide if media can publish names of Brianna Ghey’s teenage killers
Full report: Teenagers found guilty of Brianna Ghey’s murder
Thursday 21 December 2023 07:00 , Andy Gregory
Two teenagers have been found guilty of murdering schoolgirl Brianna Ghey in a frenzied killing planned weeks in advance.
Brianna, 16, was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife by the two callous teens, who she believed to be her friends but who had been planning the horrifying attack in meticulous detail behind her back.
The pair, a boy and a girl both now aged 16, who both attempted to blame each other, were described as warped and obsessed with murder by detectives during a harrowing four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.
My colleague Tara Cobham has the full report:
Brianna Ghey trial verdict: Teenagers found guilty of murder
Chilling doorbell footage shows Brianna Ghey leaving home hours before she was stabbed to death
Thursday 21 December 2023 06:01 , Andy Gregory
Brianna Ghey’s parents deliver statements after two teenagers found guilty of 16-year-old’s murder
Thursday 21 December 2023 05:04 , Andy Gregory
The parents of Brianna Ghey made emotional statements after two teenagers, known only as girl X and boy Y, were found guilty of the 16-year-old’s murder, at Manchester Crown Court:
Brianna Ghey’s parents deliver statements after two teenagers found guilty of murder
Killer’s phone number saved in phone as ‘Tesco John Wick’, court heard
Thursday 21 December 2023 04:02 , Andy Gregory
The jury heard girl X had saved boy Y’s phone number in her phone under the name “Tesco John Wick” and that John Wick was a character from a film about a violent hitman played by Keanu Reeves.
Killer said she was ‘obsessed’ with Brianna Ghey
Thursday 21 December 2023 03:01 , Andy Gregory
The court heard that teenager X told Y over WhatsApp that she was “obsessed” with Brianna, and police would find a crumpled handwritten plan to kill her on X’s bedroom floor.
Searching X’s home after her arrest, officers found the note headed “Saturday, 11th February, 2023. Victim: Brianna Ghey,” with the word “plan” written underneath and a smiley face and a heart shape drawn on the top right-hand corner.
The note read: “Meet [boy Y] at wooden posts 1pm. Walk down to library, bus stop. Wait until Brianna gets off bus, then the 3 of us walk to Linear Park. Go to the pipe/tunnel area. I say code word to [boy Y]. He stabs her in the back as I stab her in stomach. [Boy Y] drags the body into the area. We both cover up the area with logs etc.”
Brianna Ghey’s killer sent picture of murder weapon on New Year’s Day
Thursday 21 December 2023 02:03 , Andy Gregory
The girl convicted of Brianna Ghey’s murder 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”.
The court heard that the teenage boy convicted of her murder sent an image of the weapon used to murder Brianna on New Year’s Day.
The £13.50 wooden-handled hunting knife was found in his bedroom with Brianna’s blood on it and his DNA on the handle. His internet browsing history from the end of last year also showed searches on various poisons, including VX nerve agents, sarin and tabun.
Boy accused of murdering Brianna Ghey claimed to be ‘admiring trees’ during stabbing
Thursday 21 December 2023 01:01 , Andy Gregory
The teenage boy accused of murdering transgender teenager Brianna Ghey claimed he was “admiring trees” at the time of her stabbing – as he blamed his co-defendant for the teenager’s death.
Boy Y told the trial his hunting knife had been used to stab Brianna but claimed girl X, his 16-year-old co-defendant, who also can’t be named because of her age, was the one who carried out the fatal attack.
My colleague Matt Mathers reports:
Boy accused of murdering Brianna Ghey was ‘admiring trees’ during stabbing
Watch: Parents of Brianna Ghey deliver statements
Wednesday 20 December 2023 23:59 , Andy Gregory
Brianna Ghey’s father hails ‘beautiful girl to be proud of'
Wednesday 20 December 2023 22:58 , Andy Gregory
Peter Spooner, Brianna’s father, said it “breaks” him daily to know he will never see his daughter again.
“It is impossible to put into words how the murder of my child has affected me,” he told reporters. “I never stopped loving her and I never will. When she was little I remember the faces she would pull to make me laugh.
“The cheeky giggle, the funny dances, are engraved in my memory. I knew she was going to be a star and the amount of support she received from the followers on TikTok proved this.
“I was so proud of what she could do.”
Referring to her “amazing talent”, he added: “I look into her eyes and they shine back at me, and I know she was a beautiful girl to be proud of.”
Prosecutor says ‘planning, violence and age of killers is beyond belief’
Wednesday 20 December 2023 22:02 , Andy Gregory
A prosecutor called Brianna Ghey’s murder “one of the most distressing cases I have ever dealt with”.
Deputy chief crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle, of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “This has been one of the most distressing cases I have ever dealt with. The planning, the violence and the age of the killers is beyond belief.
“Brianna Ghey was subjected to a frenzied and ferocious attack and was stabbed 28 times in broad daylight, in a public park.
“Girl X and Boy Y appear to have been a deadly influence on each other and turned their dark fantasies about murder into a reality. The extensive messages between the two, planning and plotting to kill people, talking of murder, torture and cruelty, were difficult to read.
“The messages provided a terrifying insight into the minds of the two defendants – but also revealed the detailed planning of their attack and subsequent attempts to cover it up.”
Killers had discussed murdering other children prior to Brianna Ghey
Wednesday 20 December 2023 21:16 , Tara Cobham
Teenager 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.”
After being blocked on a fake Instagram account by one of their targets, boy E, the girl and boy moved their attention to Brianna. Jurors were told X messaged Y, “I want to see pure horror on her face and hear her scream in pain,” to which the boy replied: “Really? All I wanted to see is what size d**k it had.”
After trying and failing to murder Brianna with the ibuprofen gel tablets in January, the pair then decided to stab the 16-year-old to death in Linear Park on 28 January, heard the court. Brianna did not show up to meet them then – but she did two weeks later.
Brianna Ghey told mother she was ‘scared’ in final text message
Wednesday 20 December 2023 20:40 , Tara Cobham
The jury heard that Brianna Ghey, who did not tend to go out on her own, was travelling on the bus to meet girl X when she messaged her mother for the last time, telling her, “I’m on the bus by myself, I’m scared.”
Brianna, X and Y arrived at the park together – but, at 3.06pm, Brianna messaged X: “Girl where are you?”
Seven minutes later, a distressed 999 call, later played to jurors, was made by dog walker Kathryn Vize, reporting that somebody had been attacked and she had seen the attackers run away.
How Brianna Ghey’s killers acted on day after her death
Wednesday 20 December 2023 20:11 , Tara Cobham
The day after murdering Brianna, the teenage girl messaged her saying: “Girl, is everything okay? Some teenage girl got killed in Linear Park it’s on news everywhere. And why did you ditch us for some random man from Manchester. Like wtf. That is so f***** up.”
Meanwhile, the boy was online using the Crown Prosecution Service website, looking up penalties for supplying or withholding information.
X then posted a tribute to Brianna on Snapchat, describing her as an “amazing friend” and that what had happened was “so f****** sickening”.
Teenager X made lists of types of serial killers, court told
Wednesday 20 December 2023 19:48 , Tara Cobham
A list of types of serial killers was written down in teenager X’s black Pukka notebook, including mass murderers, psychopathic sexual sadists and copycat killers, and notes about “Killer Clown” John Wayne Gacy, a US serial killer, junior prosecution counsel Cheryl Mottram told jurors during the trial.
Among the pages were other notes made on Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez and Harold Shipman.
Brianna Ghey’s mother describes ‘hole in my heart'
Wednesday 20 December 2023 19:24 , Andy Gregory
Brianna Ghey’s mother has described a “hole in my heart” as she said she will “never get over” the murder of her daughter.
The days and weeks after her daughter’s death were a blur, Esther Ghey told the BBC, adding: “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.”
Brianna Ghey’s mother joked she would have to call police on day daughter was killed
Wednesday 20 December 2023 19:05 , Andy Gregory
Brianna Ghey’s mother has recalled that she joked with her partner that they would “have to ring the police” if her daughter didn’t come home soon on the afternoon that she was killed.
“I was out walking the dogs with my partner,” Esther Ghey told the BBC. “We noticed there was a very high police presence in our area and then police in our street as well.
“I sort of joked – ‘if Brianna doesn’t come home soon I’ll have to ring the police’. And when we got to the front door, the door was open and there were two policemen stood in the house.”
Brianna Ghey was ‘fearless’, says mother
Wednesday 20 December 2023 18:51 , Andy Gregory
Brianna Ghey was “fearless to be whoever she wanted to be”, her mother has said.
“She was fearless to be whoever she wanted to be,” Esther Ghey told the BBC prior to the verdicts today.
“She wanted to identify as a female, and she wanted to wear girls’ school uniform. She just did it – it wasn’t a hurdle at all for her.”
Kill lists, Sweeney Todd and the dark web: How torture-obsessed teens plotted Brianna Ghey’s murder
Wednesday 20 December 2023 18:27 , Andy Gregory
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:
How serial killer-obsessed teenage girl plotted Brianna Ghey’s brutal murder
Watch: Brianna Ghey’s parents deliver statements
Wednesday 20 December 2023 18:25 , Andy Gregory
Was Brianna Ghey’s murder a transphobic hate crime?
Wednesday 20 December 2023 18:18 , Andy Gregory
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:
Was Brianna Ghey’s murder a transphobic hate crime?
Killers have not shown ounce of remorse, says Brianna Ghey’s mother
Wednesday 20 December 2023 18:06 , Andy Gregory
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.”
‘Arrogant’ killers ‘wanted to prove that they could’, top police officer suggests
Wednesday 20 December 2023 17:57 , Tara Cobham
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****”.
Teenagers guilty of murdering schoolgirl Brianna Ghey in brutal park stabbing
Wednesday 20 December 2023 17:54 , Tara Cobham
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:
Brianna Ghey trial verdict: Teenagers found guilty of murder
Wednesday 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.
