Brianna Ghey mum: 'To know how scared she must have been will haunt me forever'

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The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey says that her house 'feels empty without her laughter'.

Speaking on the steps of Manchester Crown Court after two teenagers were found guilty of stabbing her daughter to death in a Warrington park, Esther Ghey said: "Brianna was larger than life. She was funny, witty and fearless.

"We miss Brianna so much and our house feels empty without her laughter.

"To know how scared my usually fearless child must have been when she was alone in that park with someone that she called her friend, will haunt me forever.

"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.

"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."

Brianna Ghey Credit: Family handout/Warrington Police/PA

Brianna, 16, was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife in a "sustained and violent" assault inflicted with "considerable force" to her head, chest, back and neck - including one wound directly through her heart.

The two teens, who were 15 at the time, denied her murder and blamed each other - but following a four week trial - a jury at Manchester Crown Court unanimously found them guilty of murder.

Neither teen can be named by court order because of their age and are identified only as Girl X, from Warrington, and Boy Y, from LeighGreater Manchester.

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Brianna's father Peter Spooner said: "It’s impossible to put into words how the murder of my child has affected me. 

"I never stopped loving her, and I never will. When she was little, I remember the faces she would pull to make me laugh and her cheeky giggle. 

"Her funny dances are engraved in my memory. I knew she was going to be a star and the amount of support she received from followers on TikTok proved this.

"I look into her eyes and they’d shine back at me and I know she was a beautiful girl to be proud of.

"I hate how her life has been brutally taken away from her, and she's been deprived of the life she wanted to live. It's difficult to comprehend how some people can do these vile things in the world and don't understand how cruel and heartbreaking their actions can be. 

"My heart bleeds every day for Brianna, and this will never go away. The amount of guilt I have can sometimes be unbearable. 

"I will ensure her memory lives on in my thoughts and dreams."

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