Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

British teens sentenced to life for 'sadistic' murder of transgender teen

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, killed Brianna Ghey,16, in Warrington, northwest England, in February last year

British teens sentenced to life for 'sadistic' murder of transgender teen

Two British teens were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday (2) for the "sadistic" knife murder of a 16-year-old transgender girl, an incident that shocked the nation.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, killed Brianna Ghey in Warrington, northwest England, in February last year, in what the judge called a planned "frenzied and ferocious" assault.


Ghey was stabbed 28 times in the head, neck, back, and chest after believing she was going to meet a friend. Her body was discovered by dog walkers in a park.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were just 15 at the time.

"You both took part in a brutal and planned murder which was sadistic in nature," judge Amanda Yip told the pair as she handed down the sentence at Manchester Crown Court.

Yip said that Jenkinson's "primary motivation" had been a desire to kill, but the pair had also been motivated in part by Ghey's transgender identity.

The judge ruled that Jenkinson must serve a minimum of 22 years before being considered for release, while Ratcliffe must serve at least 20 years.

"If you remain a danger you will serve very much longer than the minimum term and may never be released," she warned.

Yip had earlier taken the rare step of lifting a ban on identifying the juveniles after media outlets challenged the restriction.

Under-18s are typically granted anonymity in UK courts, but Yip ruled that their names could be reported at Friday's sentencing hearing owing to the gravity of the case.

A jury of seven men and five women convicted Jenkinson and Ratcliffe in December after nearly five hours of deliberations, following a four-week trial.

The court heard how Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had discussed killing Ghey in the days and weeks before the attack.

Jenkinson, referred during the trial as girl X, had downloaded an internet browser app that allowed her to watch videos of the torture and murder of real people, in "red rooms" on the "dark web."

- 'Life torn apart' -

She had developed an interest in serial killers, making notes on their methods, and admitted enjoying "dark fantasies" about killing and torture, the court was told.

The pair drew up a "kill list" of four other youths they intended to harm, until Ghey had the "misfortune" to be befriended by Jenkinson, who became "obsessed" with her, according to prosecutors.

During the trial, Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had blamed each other for instigating the stabbing.

Ghey had thousands of followers on the social media platform TikTok but in person was a withdrawn, shy, and anxious teenager who struggled with depression and rarely left her home, the jury heard.

Deputy chief crown prosecutor Ursula Doyle said after the verdict that the case had been "one of the most distressing" that she had ever dealt with.

"The planning, the violence and the age of the killers is beyond belief," she noted.

Before Yip announced her sentence, Ghey's parents made emotional witness statements.

Her father Peter Spooner said his world had been "torn apart" by his daughter's murder and "no amount of time spent in prison will be enough for these monsters".

"I cannot call them children as that makes them sound naive or vulnerable which they are not, they are pure evil. Brianna was the vulnerable one," he said.

The victim's mother, Esther Ghey, recalled that she had been "pleased" when Brianna sent a text message on the day, she died to say she was going to meet a friend.

"I thought that she would have a wonderful time, hanging around with her friend and getting some fresh air. When all that time she was being lured to her death," she said in a statement read by prosecutors.

The prosecution had claimed that the killers had been motivated in part by Ghey being transgender, but defence lawyers denied this.

(AFP)

More For You

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK  mini heatwave

Sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth

Getty

UK to see mini heatwave as temperatures climb towards 24 °c

The UK is set for a period of warmer weather in the coming days, with temperatures expected to rise significantly across parts of the country. According to the Met Office, a spell of dry and sunny conditions will bring early summer warmth, although it will fall short of the threshold for an official heatwave.

Temperatures in south-eastern and central England could reach 23°c to 24°c by Tuesday, around 10C above the seasonal average for some areas. The Met Office described this as a “very warm spell” rather than a heatwave, though the contrast with recent cooler weather will be noticeable.

Keep ReadingShow less
indian-army-reuters

Indian security force personnel stand guard at the site of the attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, April 24, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Indian and Pakistani troops exchange fire along Line of Control

INDIAN and Pakistani troops exchanged fire overnight along the Line of Control in Kashmir, officials from both sides said on Friday.

The exchange took place days after a deadly attack in the region and amid calls from the United Nations for both countries to show "maximum restraint".

Keep ReadingShow less
India declares state mourning for Pope Francis, Modi leads tributes

A sculpture by Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik in Puri, Odisha, on Monday (21)

India declares state mourning for Pope Francis, Modi leads tributes

INDIA began three days of state mourning on Tuesday (22) for the Pope, a rare honour for a foreign religious leader, as prime minister Narendra Modi joined other south Asian and world leaders in paying tributes following his death on Monday (21).

Pope Francis, the 88-year-old leader of 1.4 billion Catholics across the world, died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure, the Vatican said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Minority youth face racist content online once a week, report reveals

As many as 95 per cent of respondents reported encountering violent or abusive racist content online. (Photo: iStock)

Minority youth face racist content online once a week, report reveals

MOST young people from black and minority communities in Britain encounter racist content online, a new study revealed, with more than half reporting it damages their sense of safety.

The "Youth, Race and Social Media" report published on Thursday (24) highlighted a troubling picture of online racism and its effects on young people aged 16-24.

Keep ReadingShow less