Brianna's killers' twisted relationship - wicked bond, sick passions, betrayal
Brianna Ghey was murdered by two teenagers, who appeared to be ordinary schoolchildren but behind closed doors shared a deep and dark 'senseless' desire to kill.
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, lured Brianna to her death and brutally stabbed her 28 times in a park in Warrington, Cheshire, on February 11, 2023. The pair, previously referred to as Girl X and Boy Y due to legal reasons, have been named today as the killers of 16-year-old Brianna after Mrs Justice Yip lifted a ban on reporting their identities.
During the 18-day trial at Manchester Crown Court in December, the jury heard of the twisted duo's fascination with violence and how they had been planning to stage a killing frenzy for weeks. While they tried to mask their obsessive and disturbing natures, their "thirst for killing" was evident in their text exchanges and cross-examinations.
Jenkinson mapped out the 'murder plan' in a handwritten note but they appeared to work together, with Ratcliffe suggesting various poisons and medieval torture weapons they could use on their prey. Today it was reported Jenkinson admitted for the first time stabbing Brianna herself.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC told Manchester Crown Court: "She said Eddie had thrown Brianna to the floor and stabbed her three or four times then he panicked and said he did not want to kill her, so she carried on and stabbed her a number of times. When asked how many, she answered, 'A lot'. She was satisfied and excited by what she was doing."
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Brianna Ghey's murderers have been revealed as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe (Cheshire Police)The pair originally met aged 11 and became firm friends, confiding in one another about their warped desires. They knew they weren't wired right - one labelled the other a "sociopath" while her partner-in-crime said she was "not a normal person" after joking about dead babies. In the months before the murder, they shared thousands of disgusting WhatsApp messages drafting a plan on how they would go about putting an end to someone's life - with Brianna not being the original target - spurring each other on.
From November 2022, they discussed their hit list - one was a boy derogatorily described as a 'nonce', two were seen as Jenkinson's 'enemies', another deemed 'an easy kill', and another boy who was a rival love interested of the girl Ratcliffe liked. When they settled on stabbing Brianna in February, Ratcliffe text: "Yeah, it'll be easier and I want to see if it will scream like a man or a girl" - one of many instances when he referred to Brianna, who was transgender, as 'it'.
Despite their twisted desires, both were described as intelligent, high-functioning kids who came from 'normal' backgrounds. Their parents had steady and respectable jobs, and both had aspirations of going to university. Ratcliffe is known to have had a particularly privileged upbringing, with family skiing trips abroad. His murder weapon was even a hunting knife bought for £13.50 on a holiday in Bulgaria.
Neither had been in trouble with police before but Jenkinson had been excluded from school for giving cannabis to a younger pupil. A neighbour told MailOnline of her family: "They are such a nice couple, very hard-working, law-abiding people. When their daughter was arrested I just thought it had to be a mistake. She was never any trouble. I never so much as saw her drop a piece of litter."
Jenkinson's fixation with the dark web was clear, and she would immerse herself in graphic videos of people being tortured. Along the way, she developed an obsession with serial killers and paid attention to Dr Death Harold Shipman, the Night Stalker Richard Ramirez, the Killer Clown John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer, referencing them in her journals.
She also loved sinister Hollywood movies, having watched her favourite Sweeney Todd 9,000 times, including the night before the murder. She confessed to Ratcliffe: "If I do end up killing M, I have a really sharp blade, the same one that Sweeney Todd uses." He was also named in her phone as 'Tesco John Wick' - a reference to a fictional hitman. When cross-examined however, she stated she gave him this nickname because 'he looked like a less good version' of the famous Keanu Reeves character.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) deputy crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle stated that both teenagers were "equally responsible in planning the killing and carrying it out", adding that they "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."
When they plotted the murder, Jenkinson text Ratcliffe: "Make sure to wear clothes and shoes you can run in, just in case." After the killing, the pair were caught on various CCTVs and dashcams returning to their respective homes after fleeing the scene, where they resumed their WhatsApp conversations and cover-up story. But at 11pm, Jenkinson asked Ratcliffe if he had an "anxiety about getting caught" and he replied: "probably", to which she said: "You're not going to get caught don't worry. Police are s**** here."
Jenkinson detailed a 'plan to kill' Brianna and sent it to Ratcliffe, who shared her disturbing obsession with violence and torture (MEN Media)But within 24 hours of Brianna's death, investigating officers identified the pair - prompted by Jenkinsons mum phoning police to tell them her daughter had been in the park with Brianna. Meanwhile, Ratcliffelooked up penalties online for supplying or withholding information on the Crown Prosecution Service website. Jenkinson then posted a tribute to Brianna on Snapchat, describing her as an "amazing friend", and that what happened to her was "so f***ing sickening".
While their friendship appeared strong before they were arrested, the pair seemingly turned against each other afterward. When cross-examined, the two pals blamed each other for Brianna's death and both said their backs were turned when the other defendant began stabbing Brianna in a "frenzied" fashion. Under arrest, Jenkinson laughed 17 times during her account to police detectives. "I'm good at hiding stuff and playing the victim," she had told Ratcliffe.
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A crime expert has described them both as "very dangerous people" and said they had an "insidious bond", despite blaming each other for the murder. Dr Honor Doro Townshend, lecturer in Criminology at the University of East London, told The Mirror: "The 'pairship' between the two of them, the insidious bond between the defendants added to the emboldening." She added that their drive to kill appears to have come largely from "excitement and morbid fascination".
Dr Townshend addressed how they encouraged each other to express their disturbing minds. She explained that Jenkinson "went for a much less aggressive form of murder attempt" before Ratcliffe encouraged her to "go on to more extreme ideas". The court heard how the female defendant initially tried to poison Brianna by putting a painkiller in her McDonald's drink. Once the male defendant came on board, attention eventually switched to physical stabbing - which is "the peak of maliciousness", said Dr Townshend.
Brianna's mum, Esther Ghey, shared a sincere plea about the killers' families outside Manchester Crown Court in December (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)During the trial, the jury was informed of both of the defendants' varying degrees of neurodivergence - Jenkinson had 'traits' of autism and ADHD and Ratcliffe had autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism. Following his arrest, he no longer spoke to anyone but his mother. They appeared to have very different reactions in court, with Jenkinsoncrying a little as she described the aftermath of the murder and Ratcliffe showing no emotion.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Evans, Cheshire Police's head of crime, described the two as 'intelligent' to concoct such a horrifying plan given their tender ages. "I think they're both really intelligent kids," he said. "You look at their backgrounds, they're quite high-functioning. I think that's brought a level of arrogance, or certainly confidence. I don't think they ever imagined we'd uncover those text messages, and I'm not sure they ever thought we'd knock on their doors."
After they were found guilty, Brianna's mum, Esther Ghey, shared a sincere plea about the killers' families. "Prior to the trial I had moments where I felt sorry for the defendants because they had ruined their own lives as well as ours," she said. "But now, knowing the true nature and seeing neither display an ounce of remorse for what they have done to Brianna, I have lost all sympathy that I may have previously had for them. And I am glad that they will spend many years in prison and away from society."
She added: "Please have some empathy and compassion for the families of the young people convicted of this horrific crime. They too have lost a child and must live the rest of their lives knowing what their child has done."
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