The mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey said she "didn’t feel any anger or resentment" towards one of the parents of her daughter's killers.
Esther Ghey met in private with the mother and uncle of her daughter’s killer, Scarlett Jenkinson, saying it was "very emotional."
The in-person meeting took place in Warrington, their home town, where they discussed family, the Peace in Mind campaigns and ways they could potentially work together.
Brianna was murdered by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe after she was lured to Culcheth Linear Park, Cheshire on February 11, 2023.
Esther Ghey has met with the family of one of her daughter's killers
PA/BBC
Esther said: "The tragedy last year has affected so many, and changed so many lives. We lost our beautiful Brianna, but Scarlett’s family's lives have been changed forever too. I wanted to sit down with Scarlett’s family to find out how the last year had affected them.
"It was a positive and respectful meeting which allowed us to initially get to know each other. Although I don’t want to go into any detail, we discussed family and the challenges of parenting.
“As a former teacher Scarlett’s mum was really interested in the two Peace in Mind campaigns to get mindfulness training into schools through Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) and better child safeguarding for social media and mobile phones.
“She agreed that things need to change, so we are looking at ways in which she can support both campaigns. I would welcome the chance of working with her moving forwards. I didn’t feel any anger or resentment towards Scarlett’s mum, in fact it showed that tragedies have far reaching ripples."
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Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, who were convicted last year in the killing of Brianna Ghey
Cheshire Police
She added: "It has been a tough year, but I have been maintaining my mindfulness which I believe has helped with resilience, compassion and empathy. Meeting Scarlett’s mum has reminded me how important that is to me."
Manchester Crown Court heard how Jenkinson was motivated by a "deep desire to kill", while her accomplice was in part motivated by transphobia. The pair stabbed Brianna 28 times in her head, neck, chest and in a "brutal" and "very sustained and violent assault". A jury unanimously found Jenkinson and Ratcliffe guilty in December.
The trial heart how Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had a fascination with violence, torture and murder and had been "excited" by the idea of carrying out the killing. Manchester Crown Court Jenkinson must serve a minimum of 22 years before parole and Ratcliffe 20 years.
Esther met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan to discuss her campaigns, having met with Keir Starmer earlier in the month.
Esther Ghey meeting with Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer
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She said: "Both of us are mothers who are trying to navigate something nobody should ever have gone through. It was very emotional. We spoke about very personal things, and she was open with me and she was so respectful as well
"Meeting the Prime Minister and leader of the opposition and the Secretary of State is a great start in discussing the issues and challenges that face our children today.
"Yet it is only together that we can make true change; coming together with a common goal of making the world a better, safer place.
"If Scarlett’s mum is keen to join me in our mission – then I’d welcome her support. However, at present we don’t have any firm plans on if or how that will happen."