Teenager Eddie Ratcliffe jailed for murder of Brianna Ghey launches appeal against sentence
A teenager serving a life for the murder of the school girl Brianna Ghey has launched an appeal against his sentence.
Eddie Ratcliffe and Scarlett Jenkinson and were both 15 when they lured fellow school pupil Brianna to Culcheth's Linear Park in Warrington, before stabbing her 28 times with a hunting knife in a "sustained and violent" assault.
Ratcliffe was ordered to serve 20 years and has now launched an appeal.
They stabbed her 28 times with a hunting knife in the "sustained and violent" assault inflicted with "considerable force" to her head, chest, back and neck.
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.
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.
They were known only as Girl X and Boy Y after reporting restrictions were put in place because of their age, but were named after Mrs Justice Yip ruled there was "a strong public interest".
The judge said the “exceptionally brutal” murder had elements of sadism by Jenkinson and transphobic hate on the part of Ratcliffe.
A statement from the Judicial Office said: "We can confirm we have received an application for leave to appeal sentence from Eddie Ratcliffe.
"There is no record of an appeal from the co-defendant Scarlett Jenkinson."
Ratcliffe’s initial bid to take forward his appeal will first usually be considered by a single judge without a hearing.
If the teenager is denied the green light, he may be able to renew his efforts before a panel of three judges at a hearing.
After they were jailed, Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, said: “I don’t believe that someone who is so disturbed and obsessed with murder and torture would ever be able to be rehabilitated.”
Brianna’s father, Peter Spooner, said: “No amount of time spent in prison will be enough for these monsters” as he branded his daughter’s killers “pure evil”.
The trial heard Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had a fascination for violence, torture and murder and a “thirst for killing”.
How could two seemingly ‘innocent’ teenagers became killers, concocting a kill list, luring Brianna into a park and stabbing her, in a "frenzied and ferocious" attack, 28 times? Rob Smith takes a look on the latest episode of From the North.