Mum initially 'relieved' Brianna Ghey was socialising with eventual killer, inquest hears
A video report from ITV Granada Journalist Victoria Grimes
The vulnerable teenager was killed after being lured to a park by schoolmate Scarlett Jenkinson and her friend Eddie Ratcliffe, both 15 at the time, where she was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife in a "sustained and violent" assault.
Both killers were jailed for life in February, with trial judge Mrs Justice Yip ruling the “frenzied” and “brutal” murder had elements of sadism, with a secondary motive being the victim’s trans identity.
Jenkinson must serve a minimum of 22 years before being eligible for parole and Ratcliffe 20 years.
The inquest heard how Brianna, who was transgender, was described by her mother as a “hyperactive” child but also loving.
She was later diagnosed with dyslexia and was asked to leave her first secondary school, transferring to Birchwood High School just before lockdown in 2020.
In a statement read to Warrington Coroner’s Court, Brianna'a mum Esther Ghey said her 16-year-old daughter's mental health had "deteriorated massively" during lockdown.
She said she had been thankful when she began making friends at school, including with Jenkinson, who had joined the school after being asked to leave Culcheth High School.
But, she added, Brianna became "immersed in darkness" and, when police knocked on her door after finding her body, “she just knew something like this was going to happen”.
Ms Ghey said: “I thought her mental health deteriorated massively during lockdown. I felt she went down a hole of negativity.
“She seemed to crave negativity. I felt the online world she was living in was very toxic.”
She continued: “When police came to the house I just knew something like this was going to happen as it was such a dark time for everyone.
“I can’t believe what a change Brianna went through – when she was little Brianna was an energetic ball of joy, but in her later years she was immersed in darkness. It feels like I’m grieving two different people.”
Ms Ghey said her daughter’s issues with mental health began around the age of 14 but she refused to engage with the Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
At one stage Brianna would go for weeks without washing or brushing her teeth, became totally isolated, and was referred for treatment for ADHD and diagnosed with autism, her mother said.
Brianna had also been admitted to hospital for weight loss, but would not speak to her mother about it.
“I feel she was let down by the lack of mental health treatment,” Ms Ghey added.
While at an eating disorder clinic, staff noticed Brianna had been self-harming, with marks on her arms and legs.
“She would cut her arms and legs – at one point she carved a row of love heart shapes on her arm,” Ms Ghey’s statement said.
She went on: “During 2020 Brianna started dressing as a female and going by the name Brianna.
“She had mentioned she had wanted hormone medication. There was a four-year waiting list on the NHS so Brianna wanted to go private.
“I held out as long as possible because I was worried about the long-term consequences of taking puberty blockers.
“Brianna would say ‘I will kill myself if I don’t get medication’.
“I agreed for her to go down the medication route.”
Ms Ghey said she used the online service Gender GP to get puberty blockers for Brianna.
Her daughter fell behind in her education and spent a lot of time online, including using groups promoting eating disorders and self-harm, the inquest heard.
Jenkinson, at the age of 14, had downloaded a Tor internet browser app, to watch videos of the torture and murder of real people, in “red rooms” on the “dark web”.
She developed an interest in serial killers, making notes on their methods and admitted enjoying “dark fantasies” about killing and torture.
Brianna had thousands of followers on TikTok, but in reality was a withdrawn, shy and anxious teenager who struggled with depression and rarely left her home.
She was lured to the park near Jenkinson’s home on a Saturday afternoon, believing she was going to “hang out” with friends.
At around 3pm, Brianna, who had been seen sitting on a bench, was suddenly attacked, possibly initially from behind, with Ratcliffe’s hunting knife, which had a 5in (13cm) blade.
Brianna was “stabbed and stabbed and stabbed” in a “frenzied and ferocious” attack.
The inquest continues.
Want more on the issues affecting the North? Our podcast, From the North answers the questions that matter to our region.