Brianna Ghey killer's dad uncovered as paedo who hid behind veil of normality
Brianna Ghey's senseless murderer Eddie Ratcliffe was said to come from a loving, stable home. But the disclosure of his father's convictions has called that into question.
Ratcliffe showed no emotion when he was sentenced to life for Brianna's barbaric killing. As the court heard gory details of his shared desire to kill alongside twisted accomplice Scarlett Jenkinson, Ratcliffe sat in the dock doing Sudoku puzzles. Diagnosed with autism and selective mutism, the teen killer would only speak to his mum.
Ratcliffe - who lured the 16-year-old transgender schoolgirl to a local park before stabbing her 28 times with Jenkinson in a frenzied attack on February 11 last year - was known to be an intelligent student from a middle-class home in Leigh, Greater Manchester.
However it has now been revealed that Ratcliffe's dad is a convicted paedophile. Kyle Ratcliffe, 36, has today been jailed for 15 months at Manchester Crown Court after admitting two offences of exposure and one count of taking an indecent photo of a child.
Kyle Ratcliffe, from Leigh, who today appeared from custody at HMP Forest Bank, Salford, admitted two offences of exposure in November last year involving two 16-year-old girls at a bus stop. The offences were committed shortly before his son went on trial on November 27.
Girl, 16, stabbed to death in park - and police want to speak to man and woman
He also pleaded guilty to taking an indecent photo of a pre-pubescent girl by covertly recording a video of her in a changing room in August last year. The court heard he has previous past convictions for similar offences.
Brianna had become Girl X's friend (MEN Media)It's a far cry from the picture that was painted at trial of Eddie Radcliffe's home life. During the 18-day trial, Manchester Crown Court heard how he and Jenkinson were high functioning and came from 'normal' backgrounds. Both Jenkinson and Ratcliffe's parents had steady and respectable jobs, and both students had aspirations of going to university.
Ratcliffe's mother is a skiing instructor while it was said his father Kyle was a manager of a truck company and ran a kickboxing gym. While on remand, Ratcliffe passed eight GCSEs and had been self-tutoring for A levels in physics, biology, chemistry, pure maths and English literature. Having never been in trouble with the police before, the top student was viewed as conscientious.
The killer grew up as the middle child of three, with an older brother and younger sister. As a child, he was a keen kickboxer, which was referenced in court. He took part in a competition in Jamaica in 2018, aged 11.
Known to have had a particularly privileged upbringing, the family enjoyed skiing holidays and weekends boating in the Lake District. His murder weapon was even a hunting knife bought from a souvenir shop on holiday, purchased by his father.
In light of his conviction, Kyle Ratcliffe must stay on the sex offenders register for 10 years. Judge John Potter said the prosecution and conviction of Ratcliffe's son for murder was not "in any way" mitigation for the offending. Judge Potter said: "This is not the first time in your life you have harmed others in this way. The offences on this indictment coupled with your previous convictions make it quite clear that you have a sexual attraction towards female children and teenagers whom you objectivise for the purpose of you own sexual gratification.
"This, Mr Ratcliffe, has potential to cause very serious harm and portrays you, in my judgment, as currently presenting a significant risk to such individuals." He was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
The father of one of Brianna Ghey's killers is a sex offender, it can now be disclosed (MEN Media)During the trial, it was heard that the dad-of-three had been driving his Maserati car along a busy road at around 7.45am on November 22. As he passed two 16-year-old girls at a bus stop waiting to go to college, he turned his head towards them and as they looked back at him they could see his hand moving up and down and his trousers pulled down to his knees.
The next day, Ratcliffe again passed them on the road at the same bus stop and was seen masturbating again in his car. On this occasion, one of the girls, who cannot be identified, took a photo of his car with her mobile phone. Both girls expressed "shock, confusion and concern" and told their parents, and police were able to trace him from the photo of his car.
Detectives then analysed his phone and found a video taken three months before on the afternoon of August 22 at a waterpark in Cheshire. Internet use on his phone also showed he had searched for pornography online using terms including 'students', 'innocent teens' and 'public dick flash.'
'Lovely' teenager, 16, found stabbed to death in park died in 'targeted attack'
As he was sentenced today, an order preventing reports from identifying him as the father of Eddie was also lifted. It came after Kyle was handed a suspended prison sentence in 2008 for exposure for masturbating in his car towards a girl aged 16. In 2012, he was given a three-year community order for exposure after being seen masturbating behind the wheel of his vehicle while stopped at a red light.
Before the revelation of Kyle Ratcliffe's crimes, neighbours who lived near their home described the family as pleasant and respectable, and said they 'kept themselves to themselves'.
Teen killers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe (PA)The son appeared to spiral after meeting Jenkinson at school aged 11. They 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.
Jenkinson had written a note, found by police, describing her pal Ratcliffe. "Someone that doesn't have many, or no emotions," she said. "Good sense of humour. Very, very smart. Genius level. Not sociable. Socially awkward. Gets anxious."
In the months before Ghey's 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.
Jenkinson first came across Brianna when she joined Birchwood High School in 2022, and struck up a friendship after complimenting her eyeliner. From November 2022, she and Ratcliffe discussed their hit list - one was a boy described as a 'nonce', two were seen as the girl's 'enemies', another deemed 'an easy kill', and another boy who was a rival love interest of the girl he liked.
Even after the murder on February 11, he considered how to ask her out in the days following for Valentine's Day. Ratcliffe suggested various poisons and medieval torture weapons they could use on their prey, and showed a preoccupation with weapons including tomahawks and shurikens.
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. He also noted their 'regular' upbringings.
"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.
Her note had clear instructions (MEN Media)"We know in this case how it's ended. What I would say is, let's put this in a little bit of context. As horrendous as this is, it's really rare. Most 14 or 15-year-old kids do not go on to do things like this. These are two very warped individuals who have done what they've done. The access to the dark web is certainly quite worrying.
"It shows a level of intelligence. Not everyone can do that. It has probably made me reflect as a parent. Do you know what your kids are doing when they're sat with the door shut in their bedroom? There's probably a bit for all of us around wider internet safety and awareness, but I don't for one minute think we've got kids across Merseyside and Cheshire Googling how to kill people. We've got to keep this in the context of what it is, which is horrendous, but it's two warped individuals."
The jury was informed of both of the defendants' varying degrees of neurodivergence and had permission to play with fidget toys and puzzles to calm their anxiety in court. Ratcliffe, who was allowed to type his answers, has autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism, and following his arrest, he no longer spoke to anyone but his mother.
They murdered Brianna at Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington (PA)She attended his trial every day, often making notes. However his father only attended sporadically. Their son made no eye contact with either of them throughout.
After they were found guilty, his mother was seen sobbing uncontrollably, with her head in her hands. Brianna's mum Esther shared a sincere plea about the killers' families.
Speaking outside Manchester crown court after the verdicts, she said: "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. 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."
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."
Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip warned the killers that they would be named when the sentencing hearing took place on February 2. Mrs Yip told the two defendants: "I will have to impose a life sentence. What I have to decide is the minimum amount of time you will be required to serve before you might be considered for release. I'm not going to do that this week. I'm going to ask for some reports in relation to each of you."
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