Everything we heard in week one of trans teen Brianna Ghey's murder trial
Trans teenager Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death in Cheshire earlier this year and two teenagers are currently on trial for her murder.
The accused, only identified as Girl X and Boy X, were arrested after being seen with transgender Brianna, 16, before she was found stabbed 28 times in Culcheth Linear Park, near Warrington, on the afternoon of February 11. They both deny murder and are blaming each other, the jurors have been told.
Neither defendant can be named because of their age. The trial is being held at Manchester Crown Court.
Day 1
Mrs Justice Amanda Yip addressed the jury saying there would be some "adjustments" to the "usual court process" given the age of the defendants, who are both 16. The judge told the jury that Boy Y had been given a "diagnosis of autism" and that Girl X had been assessed as having "traits of autism and ADHD".
Brianna boarding a bus hours before she was stabbed to death (Cheshire Police)Prosecutor Deanna Heer K said that Kathryn Vize and her husband Andrew were out walking their dogs in Linear Park in Culcheth near Warrington, at about 3pm on Saturday, February 11 this year, when they came across Brianna after she had been stabbed.
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The court heard the defendants were friends who were in "regular contact", often about issues such as relationships but they also discussed "less innocent topics". Ms Heer said the messages the teens exchanged showed they "were preoccupied with violence, torture and death and record them discussing how they wanted to kill the people that they knew."
The court heard that Boy Y and Girl X had discussed meeting Brianna in Culcheth on January 28, but she cancelled last minute, leaving the girl "f****** pi****". Girl X then messaged Boy Y and said that Brianna could meet on Tuesday. Jurors heard that Boy Y refused, saying that "he had school and he was not bringing a knife", and "it would have to be a Saturday".
The defendants continued to discuss killing Brianna on Monday, January 30, the court was told. When Girl X allegedly suggested she could kill Brianna by giving her an overdose of cocaine, she continued: "Let’s just stab her. It's more fun." Boy Y is said to have replied: "Ok."
The teenager was found dead in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington, Cheshire (PA)Day 2
Jurors were told that on February 3, Girl X sent Boy Y a picture of a handwritten note headed: "Saturday 11th February 2023. Victim: Brianna Ghey." The jury was shown a photo of the note that was found in Girl X's bedroom following her arrest.
Ms Heer said: "It is clearly, the prosecution say, a plan to kill Brianna Ghey." It read: "Meet Boy Y at wooden posts at 1pm. Walk down to library…bus stop. Wait until Brianna gets off the bus and 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 the stomach. Boy Y drags the body into the area. We both cover up the area with logs etc."
The court then heard the pair shared messages discussing the details of their plan, with Boy Y allegedly saying he was bringing his "hunting knife". Girl X asked him: "And that will definitely 100 per cent kill her?" Boy Y "assured her that it would", Ms Heer said. Girl X allegedly told Boy Y that she was "excited af [as f***] for tomorrow". Jurors were told that on Saturday, February 11, the day Brianna died, Girl X sent a message to Brianna at 9.25am telling her to get the bus from Birchwood to Culcheth at 1.15pm, to arrive at 1.30pm. The defendants arranged to meet at 12.30pm, it was said.
The jury was told that at 2.30pm, Brianna sent a message to a friend, saying: "Girl X is so weird girl. I think she’s pretending to have a dealer." Ms Heer claimed that was "exactly" what Girl X was doing. Jurors were told that Girl X had allegedly set up a fake Snapchat account, to message a fake drug dealer called Nathan and exchanged messages with herself.
Ms Heer said: "Girl X continued to exchange messages with herself playing the part of Nathan until 3.01pm when she sent Nathan a message saying, 'hurry'." Then at 3.06pm, Brianna sent a message to Girl X asking 'girl where are you?' Ms Heer said that a few seconds later Girl X deleted a Snapchat message. She said: "It was about that time, members of the jury, that the killing must have occurred."
At 3.13pm, dog walker Kathryn Vize called 999, asking for police and an ambulance. The first police officer arrived at the scene at 3.25pm. Jurors were told that a post-mortem examination conducted by Dr Alison Armour found that Brianna had been stabbed 28 times.
CCTV footage showed the defendants walking towards Girl X's home. She went home at about 3.20pm, and at 3.44pm, deleted a Snapchat conversation she had had with Brianna, the court was told. Boy Y was seen on CCTV "apparently wiping his hands, which appeared to be red in colour". He then caught a bus back to his home in Leigh, arriving at about 4pm.
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Brianna was killed on February 11 (Liverpool Echo)Day 3
Jurors were told of further messages allegedly sent between the two defendants on January 23, in which they discussed killing Brianna. The jury then heard a statement made by Brianna's mother, Esther Ghey, read by junior prosecution counsel Cheryl Mottram. She said she was asked to recall an incident where Brianna was "really sick" and it later emerged she had been given some tablets. She said Brianna was "screaming and crying for me to help her".
Footage of Brianna leaving her home at 12.45pm, before she walked to take number 28 bus to Culcheth, was played in court. Brianna sent a message to her mum saying: "I'm leaving to go see Girl X, dogs are locked up." Further footage showed Brianna walking to the bus stop, before waiting for about 20 to 30 minutes and boarding a bus. Brianna messaged a friend on Snapchat saying: "I'm so anxious. I'm at the bus." Further video showed Brianna sitting down on the bus, with her phone in her hand.
Police officers at the scene in Linear Park in Culcheth (Liverpool Echo)Day 4
Jurors were told of messages Brianna exchanged with Girl X before she was killed, in which the victim mentioned being "anxious" and said she would wait in a spot until the drugs she was told they would take would arrive. The jury was also played a recording of a 999 call made by dog walker Kathryn Vize who appeared distressed when she found Brianna stabbed.
Police Constable Andrew Chadwick then gave evidence in court. He said Brianna was "almost face down", "heavily blood-soaked" and "not moving". He said: "I rolled her onto her back and pulled her away from the edge of the steps, knowing that I would have to give first aid and wanted to be in the safest possible position."
He said that it was apparent she had been "stabbed in a number of different places", and was "haemorrhaging catastrophically", Jurors were told PC Chadwick carried out chest compressions on the casualty until paramedics arrived, who had also run to the scene.
Brianna identified as a transgender girl (MEN Media)Day 5
Detective Constable Chris Orme returned to the witness box. Footage was played to jurors showing Boy Y board the bus back to his home in Leigh at 3.29pm, with his "hood up" and "his sleeves down over his hands".
Jurors were told that the defendants later exchanged messages and that at 4.28pm Boy Y texted Girl X to say: "So how's your cat." They then discussed Brianna's murder with the girl asking: "Do you have anxiety about getting caught." Boy Y replied: "Probably." Girl X responded: "You're not going to get caught don't worry. Police are sh*** here."
The court also heard that Girl X posted on Snapchat a message over a screenshot of a news article which said: "Rest in peace. "Brianna was one of the best people I have ever met and such an amazing friend its so f****** sickening what got done to her."
Girl X was arrested at her home at 7.32pm and Boy Y was arrested at his home at 7.34pm, the jury heard. Both were arrested on suspicion of murder. Jurors were shown body-worn footage taken by officers who arrested the defendants.
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