Killer loses bid to appeal - read the full story
Brianna Ghey killer latest: Eddie Ratcliffe loses bid to appeal against sentence
Eddie Ratcliffe, one of the killers of teenager Brianna Ghey, has lost his bid to appeal against his sentence. The 16-year-old, alongside his friend Scarlett Jenkinson, lured Brianna to a park near Warrington last year and stabbed her 28 times. The livestream from court has now finished.
Thursday 5 December 2024 16:30, UK
Key points
- Brianna Ghey killer Eddie Ratcliffe, 16, has lost his bid to appeal against the length of his murder sentence
- He was jailed for at least 22 years in February for the transgender teenager's murder, alongside co-attacker Scarlett Jenkinson
- Brianna was stabbed to death on 11 February 2023 after the pair lured her to a park near Warrington
- Weeks before her murder, the teenagers meticulously planned the killing
- The livestream of proceedings from the Court of Appeal has finished - but you can read the full story below
What happened to Brianna Ghey?
Brianna Ghey was stabbed 28 times on 11 February 2023 after being lured to a park near Warrington, Cheshire.
The 16-year-old was stabbed in her head, neck and back with a hunting knife by Eddie Ratcliffe and his friend Scarlett Jenkinson, who were both 15 at the time.
In the weeks before her murder the two 15-year-olds meticulously planned the killing as they exchanged thousands of texts and WhatsApp messages.
When she left home on that day, she thought she was going to meet a friend.
But in what detectives described as the "ultimate betrayal", Brianna had been lured from her house to her death.
Jenkinson was jailed for at least 22 years and Ratcliffe for a minimum of 20 years.
Killers 'appeared to be deadly influence on each other'
Eddie Ratcliffe was jailed for a minimum of 20 years and Scarlett Jenkinson for at least 22 years in February.
Judge Mrs Justice Yip said Jenkinson's sentence was longer because it was clear a "huge amount of work" would need to be done before she could be released.
The judge said that for Ratcliffe, there are "areas in which your functioning is like that of a much younger child".
She accepted his autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis had some impact, but its impact on his culpability was "limited".
The judge referred to Jenkinson's duplicity, saying during her sentencing remarks: "Scarlett, you make up stories."
"It is simply impossible to believe any account Scarlett gives," the judge added.
"Your motivation, Scarlett, was to act out your fantasies. You wanted to see the pure horror on Brianna's face.
"Two days before the murder you said you were excited.
"Brianna was killed with exceptional brutality."
But the judge also said she was "certain" Ratcliffe inflicted at least some of Brianna's injuries because of evidence against him - such as blood on his clothing. However, she also said Ratcliffe did not show the same "interest" in killing as Jenkinson.
The judge added: "Both of you played a full part in killing Brianna and both intended she should die."
The Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement after the sentencing that it was "one of the most disturbing cases" it has had to deal with.
After the pair were convicted, CPS deputy crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle said: "They were both equally responsible in planning the killing and carrying it out."
She said the pair "appear to have been a deadly influence on each other and turned what may have started out as dark fantasies about murder into a reality".
How Brianna was lured to her death
Brianna Ghey left her home on a Saturday afternoon on 11 February 2023 - two hours later she would be killed by two other teenagers.
Earlier that morning, the teenager had received a text from Jenkinson, telling her to come to Culcheth Library just after 1.30pm.
Jenkinson told Brianna exactly which bus to board, instructing her to buy a child's single ticket.
At 1.53pm, she met Jenkinson and Jenkinson's friend, Eddie Ratcliffe, at the stop outside the local library.
The group walked past the local Sainsbury's, where just minutes earlier, the two teenage killers had bought bottles of Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola. DNA on these bottles would later pin them to the scene of the crime.
What exactly unfolded in the park is known only to Ratcliffe and Jenkinson but based on the number of wounds on her body, Brianna was subjected to a sustained and violent assault with a hunting knife.
CCTV and text messages compiled by Sky News show her final moments...