A boy and a girl, both 16, have been found guilty of the murder of teenager Brianna Ghey in a park in Culcheth, near Warrington on February 11.
The teenagers, known as Girl X and Boy Y to protect their identities, were found unanimously guilty by a jury at Manchester crown court today.
The pair, who were 15 at the time of the attack, blamed each other for the murder of Ghey.
The jury deliberated for a total of four hours and 40 minutes.
Brianna Ghey from Birchwood in Warrington was found on a path in Linear Park in February
PA
On February 11, Ghey – met up with Girl X and Boy Y, and walked with them to Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington.
At around three o’clock that afternoon, Ghey was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife, in the head, neck, chest, and back.
At 3.13pm, the emergency services were called by Kathryn Vize, who had been walking her dog in the park. Ghey was pronounced dead shortly after four o’clock.
Kathryn reported that she had seen two figures running away from the scene – they would later be charged with Brianna’s murder and become known as Girl X and Boy Y.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The handwritten murder plan was found in the bedroom of girl X
CPS
They showed no emotion when the verdict was delivered.
Justice Yip, told the pair they would be sentenced to life in prison however their minimum terms are yet to be decided.
Esther Ghey, the mother of the murdered teenager, said she had lost all sympathy for her daughter’s killers and is glad they will spend “many years in prison and away from society”.
On the 15th of December 2022, Brianna Ghey entered their conversations for the first time, with Girl X telling Boy Y she was “obsessed” with the 16-year-old. But by the following month, things would become significantly darker, with X telling Y she had attempted to give her a “pill overdose”, suggesting she had given Brianna and amount “that should have been enough to kill her.”
Esther Ghey, the mother of the murdered teenager, said she had lost all sympathy for her daughter’s killers and is glad they will spend “many years in prison and away from society”
Cheshire Constabulary
This event was then backed up by evidence from Brianna’s mother, Esther, who recalled at around that date, her daughter had complained of severe stomach pains and had said she felt she was going to die. Shortly after, Brianna vomited and began to gradually feel better.
On the 10th of February, X and Y made a plan. They arranged for Brianna to meet them in Culcheth, under the pretence of taking drugs. X asked Y what knife he was bringing, and when he told her a hunting knife he had previously shown her, she asked, “And that will definitely 100% kill her?” To this, Boy Y responded, “yes, it cuts my skin easily.”
On the afternoon of February 11th, video doorbell footage shows Brianna leaving her house, and further CCTV then captures her catching the bus towards Culcheth to meet X and Y.
The three teenagers met, and then walked towards the park. Within an hour, Brianna would be dead.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) gave a statement on the convictions in the Brianna Ghey murder trial: "This has been one of the most distressing cases the Crown Prosecution Service has had to deal with.
The pair showed no emotion when the verdict was delivered
PA
"The planning, the violence and the age of the killers is beyond belief.
“Brianna Ghey was subjected to a frenzied and ferocious attack and was stabbed 28 times in broad daylight in a public park.
“Girl X and Boy Y 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."
The two sent countless WhatsApp messages where they plotted to kill Ghey, as well as others.
The CPS described the messages, which provided them with a detailed planning of the attack, as "very difficult to read".
A sentencing hearing is due to take place in the new year.
Cheshire Constabulary
“The Crown Prosecution Service authorised a charge of murder for both of the defendants. They were both equally responsible in planning the killing and carrying it out. In the trial, the defendants tried to blame each other to absolve themselves. The Jury has clearly seen their explanations for the lies that they were," the statement continued.
“This has been a difficult prosecution not least because two very young people were on trial for the most serious offence known to criminal law. It has involved using a number of measures to ensure that the defendants could participate fully in the trial and enable them to give their evidence.
“The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank the family of Brianna Ghey for the courage and dignity that they have shown throughout these proceedings. We hope today’s verdict brings some solace, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with them at this difficult time.”
A sentencing hearing is due to take place in the new year.