Heartbreaking 999 call made by dog walker who discovered Brianna Ghey's body

01 December 2023 , 15:58

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Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death on February 11 (Image: PA)

A distressing 999 call made by a dog walker who found the body of transgender teenager Brianna Ghey has been played to a jury.

Kathryn Vize had been out with her husband and their two dogs in Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington, Cheshire, on Saturday, February 11, when they came across the dying 16-year-old down a path through woods.

She called 999 after finding Brianna, from Birchwood, Warrington, who had been stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife. A girl and a boy, both now aged 16, identified only as X and Y, are on trial for murder at Manchester Crown Court.

Brianna Ghey was seen on Ring doorbell camera footage leaving her home in Birchwood, Warrington, less than three hours before she was stabbed to death (Cheshire Police)

Both have pleaded not guilty and blame each other for the killing, the jury has heard. Neither defendant can be named because of their ages.

On the fourth day of the trial, the jury heard the 999 call made by Mrs Vize at 3.13pm that afternoon, reports the Manchester Evening News. During the conversation, she could be heard to become distressed, as the call handler asked her questions about what she had seen.

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Beginning at 3.13pm, the 999 call from Mrs Vize, breathing heavily and clearly distressed, says: "Police and ambulance. I'm in Culcheth Linear Park. Somebody has been attacked. We have seen some of the attackers run away from the body. She's very hurt."

Police officers at the scene in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington, Cheshire (MEN Media)

The female call operator then checked the location. Mrs Vize said: "She's halfway down some stairs. She's bleeding heavily. She's blood on her legs and on her back. She's really hurt.

"We thought it was a dummy at first. I don't want to touch her either. I don't know if she's alive. She did twitch before. It's an absolute mess."

Mrs Vize told the operator her husband was going to wait with Brianna while she went to the car park to direct arriving emergency services. Breathing heavily, Mrs Vize continued the call saying: "Oh God! Oh God!"

The operator told her: "OK, take some deep breaths. Do you think she's been hit?" Mrs Vize said: "I think she's been attacked. She may have been stabbed. There's blood coming out of her back. Oh my God! Oh my God!"

A dog walker called 999 after finding the dying teen (MEN Media)

Below is a transcript of the 999 call, which was played to the jury.

Call handler: "Police emergency."

Mrs Vize: "Police and ambulance am on Culcheth Linear Park and somebody has been attacked. We’ve seen the attackers run away and she’s uncon.. Er well I think they are the attackers.

"They’ve run away from the body she’s very hurt and we need the ambulance and police and you’ll probably need the air ambulance because of where she is."

Call handler: "Okay and it's Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington?"

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Mrs Vize: "Yeah in Warrington and if you go to the main car park at Culcheth Linear Park and walk forwards it’s about half a mile down there so you will need either a Heli team or a Heli med."

Call handler: "An attack? What’s happened have they been hit?"

Mrs Vize: "I don’t know, she’s half way down some stairs, she’s bleeding heavily and she’s just hardly responsive at all. But is really (breathing heavily) but the attackers have run towards Culcheth Linear car park and I can describe them clearly to you because I was really suspicious of them."

Call handler: "Okay."

Mrs Vize: "I don’t feel very safe. She’s bleeding she’s got blood on her legs she’s got blood on her back. She’s.. she’s really hurt."

Call handler: "Okay."

Mrs Vize: "It's really bad."

Call handler: "And what’s your name?"

Mrs Vize: "Really bad … My names Kathryn .. spelt…Kathryn, Vize spelt Vize… (Heavy breathing)"

Call handler: "Okay and she’s on the stairs at the Culcheth Linear Park, this girl?"

Mrs Vize: "Yeah. She is yeah.. yeah we thought it was a dummy at first."

Call handler: "And you say."

Mrs Vize: "Her face is really badly hurt no and I don’t want to touch her either."

Call handler: "Is somebody with her at the moment?"

Mrs Vize: "Er we’re stood by but I don’t know if she’s alive, she’s got heavy bleeding from her back but her face is all she did twitch before but I don’t want to touch her (heavy breathing) it’s an absolute mess."

Call handler: "Are you staying in the area?"

Mrs Vize: "Yeah Ill wait here."

Call handler: "Will you be able to show the officers and the ambulance where she is?"

Mrs Vize: "Yeah if they come to the car park at Culcheth Linear Park am going to run back there now. My husband not going to touch her but will wait here."

Call handler: "Okay."

Mrs Vize: "Okay."

Call handler: "Am going to get am going to get some."

Mrs Vize: "Can you stay on the phone to me though because I.. don’t.. they are still around."

Call handler: "Yeah bear with me I just need to one of my colleagues to contact ambulance. Bear with me one moment."

Mrs Vize: "Thank you."

(Heavy breathing)

Mrs Vize: "Oh God.. Oh God.."

Call handler: "Just bear with me one moment am getting this put through for you okay.."

Mrs Vize: "Oh God. (Voice distressed)"

Call handler: "Okay just Take some deep breaths."

(Breathing)

Call handler: "And do you think she’s been hit by people?"

Mrs Vize: "I think she’s been attacked severley, her face, her back she may have even been stabbed there’s blood coming out of her back. (Breathing) I am just going to try and stop people coming down here. Because.. you wouldn’t Oh my god."

Call handler: "Okay."

Mrs Vize: "Oh my God."

Call handler: "And what did these suspects look like?"

Mrs Vize: "There was a girl and a boy, I’d say they were late teens.... Erm and they saw us and they ran."

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Call handler: "And what were they wearing?"

Mrs Vize: "Erm well one of em had, well it looked like a red chequed coat on you know like a duffle coat, my husband will confirm that though he got a better look. But err hes stayed by the body. And the other one I think had like a hoody on like a coat with a hoody. He, the boy pulled his hood up so that we couldn’t see his face. (Breathing) am just on my way back to the car park.

Call handler: "Okay is your husband with the girl currently did you say?"

Mrs Vize: "He is yeah.. he is."

Call handler: "And is she breathing? I need to update ambulance."

Mrs Vize: "I don’t think she is and erm I cant see her face its covered in blood so I don’t want to do anything to her (Mrs Vize becomes distressed) because its awful."

Call handler: "She's not breathing?"

Mrs Vize: "I don’t know she’s twitched but I don’t know. she’s in such a mess. But we can’t touch her. (crying)"

Call handler: "Okay okay. We're going to get help to you. You don’t think she’s breathing?"

Mrs Vize: "… Am a first aider I don’t know am not with her I normally would first aid because that’s what I do at work its awful... (crying)

Call handler: "Okay (typing) And she’s not moving whatsoever, you cant see her stomach moving or her chest."

Mrs Vize: "No. No we couldn’t that’s not to say that she isn't breathing. She looks dead. The way her body is lying and everything.

Call handler: "She looks dead, okay. (Typing)"

Mrs Vize: "Yeah."

Call handler: "Okay. Any she’s got blood all over her legs all over her head?"

Mrs Vize: "She's got sta - no its her face cos she got her hood up an her face is down and bent to the side and her face looks like not looking but it looks like its covered in blood and it looks like she’s got a weeping blood wound on her back."

Call handler: "How old does she look this girl?"

Mrs Vize: "She’s dressed like a teenager she’s got thick tights on and er... (breathing) Oh god… are the police coming quickly?"

Call handler: "Yeah they are coming on an emergency response we’ve got ambulance coming on an emergency response as well."

Mrs Vize: "I can see other dog walkers so am going to stop going is that right yeah?"

Call handler: "Yeah that’s fine."

Mrs Vize: "I don’t want anyone to see its awful (breathing) oh god.. its like one of those nightmares dog walkers (breathing)."

Call handler: "Is there breath.. Can you see if she’s breathing at all? Is she?"

Mrs Vize: "I cant no am half a mile away now I’ve come back to meet the police and the ambulance."

Call handler: "Is the blood trickling out or is it spurting out?"

Mrs Vize: "Its on er its not spurting out its just a shirt soaked in blood."

Call handler: "The shirt's soaked in blood, you can't tell if spurting out."

Mrs Vize: "Yes.. .On her back? No I can't tell. Am just going to speak to these people."

(In the background) Stop. Someone’s been attacked and am just waiting for the police and ambulance. (dog barking) Sorry.. am just getting some people to stop. (dog barking)

Call handler: "Okay."

Mrs Vize: (In the background) "Are you alright helping me to stop people going down there cos (dog barking in the background) there’s two of them to teenagers and they’ve just run off."

Call handler: "When do you think this happened?"

Mrs Vize: "Literally just as I rang you I saw em running off as I rang you as I rang you they (dog barking) they'd just run off we’d seen what we thought was rubbish. And I said to my husband keep the dog on the lead.

(Mrs Vize speaking in the background): "Yeah my husbands there yeah erm our other dog my husband would mind erm somebody to keep him company its about a quarter of a mile down there."

Call handler: "Are you able to give first aid? Because we need to put pressure on the wounds."

Mrs Vize: "Am not with her. Am not with her I ‘ve come to meet the police and the ambulance."

Call handler: "Who's with the girl?"

Mrs Vize: "Honestly she looked… My husbands stood there but she’s in such a mess hang on."

Call handler: "Can you go over to your husband because we need to put pressure on the wound."

Mrs Vize: "Right honest to god there’s nothing you can do. (becomes distressed) I don’t think there’s anything you can do for her, I really don’t think there is. (breathing) oh God some the other dog walkers have gone to meet him now. Oh God.

Call handler: "Are you able to get your husband to give any CPR or anything like that?"

Mrs Vize: "Not really no am not with him I’ve walked half a mile back to the car park."

Call handler: "Can you get in contact with your husband?"

Mrs Vize: "Yeah yeah just a minute. Hang on speaker phone (Mrs Vize speaking in the background)

Call handler: "Has he put pressure on her?"

Mrs Vize: "No he hasn’t.. He can't he can't I don’t know now I just don’t know (becomes distressed) I don’t know I just don’t know."

Call handler: "That’s okay were getting some help."

Mrs Vize: (distressed): "Am on my own her If you saw her it’s awful please hurry up am om my own here I've just seen murderers please hurry up."

Call handler: "We are getting multiple patrols out to you to make sure."

Mrs Vize: "I can see the police I can see the police thank you thank you."

Call handler: "Okay can you go and see the police and explain to them."

Mrs Vize: "Yeah yes I will do ill take them."

Call handler: "Okay."

Mrs Vize: "Thank you bye bye."

Call handler: "Bye bye."

The trial continues.

Andrew Bardsley