Teenager admits stabbing Brianna Ghey for first time as second kill list revealed

The teenager convicted of murdering Brianna Ghey has admitted stabbing her for the first time, as it's been revealed she compiled another kill list of people in her detention centre.

Scarlett Jenkinson, 16, has been named for the first time after being convicted of murdering the schoolgirl alongside Eddie Ratcliffe.

Brianna was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back after being lured to Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February 2023.

Manchester Crown Court heard Jenkinson had been seen by a psychiatrist after she was convicted of murder in December and made "admissions".

Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, said: "She said effectively, she said that at the time of the killing she had in fact administered stab wounds herself.

"She had snatched the knife from Eddie’s hand and stabbed Brianna repeatedly.

"She said Eddie had thrown Brianna to the floor and stabbed her three or four times then he panicked and said he did not want to kill her, so she carried on and stabbed her a number of times.

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"When asked how many, she answered 'a lot'. She was satisfied and excited by what she was doing."

She also admitted to an earlier incident when Brianna became ill, saying she attempted to poison her with pills.

Ms Heer said, in a further account of events to a probation officer, Jenkinson had said she and Ratcliffe deliberately lured Brianna to the park.

Ms Heer continued: "On this occasion she said it was she who first inflicted stab wounds then passed it to Eddie who forced the victim to the floor, stabbing her about three times, at that point she took the knife and delivered the majority of stab wounds."

• When arrested Jenkinson asked police if it was because she had been "the last person to see Brianna"

The court was also told a second "kill list" of staff at the secure youth accommodation where she is being held had been drawn up by Jenkinson.

A previous list, which included Brianna, was found in Jenkinson's bedroom shortly after her arrest.

Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, said: "Another kill list was found at the secure unit which refers to names of people caring for her."

Ms Heer said Dr Richard Church, a consultant forensic psychiatrist, had examined Jenkinson and concluded she did not have a mental illness but presents with a severe "conduct dissocial disorder with limited pro-social emotions".

She concluded: "In Scarlett’s case, she knew what she was doing was wrong and she knew it was very wrong."

Jenkinson’s barrister Richard Pratt KC, however, told the sentencing hearing his client now insisted it was Ratcliffe who was responsible for the stabbing.

He said when he asked the teenager why she had told people she had stabbed Brianna, Jenkinson said because she "felt responsible and she accepted she wanted herself to do the stabbing".

But in response, Mrs Justice Yip said: "There is so much evidence of untruths in the case of Scarlett that it is impossible to believe anything she says."

• Brianna's mum Esther said she had suspicions it was Jenkinson who killed her daughter

Jenkinson, Brianna’s schoolfriend and the daughter of teachers, who lives close to the park in Culcheth, was identified only as Girl X during the trial.

Ratcliffe, from Leigh, whose mother is a skiing instructor and father runs his own businesses, had been identified only as Boy Y.

Each had denied murder and blamed the other for the killing, described as "horrific" by detectives.

The media was banned from naming them during the four-week trial because of their ages.

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