Teenage killers of Brianna Ghey, 16, identified for first time as judge rules | UK News

Teenagers who murdered Brianna Ghey will be named when they are sentenced, a judge has ruled. They lured her to Linear Park.

Two teenagers who were convicted of the brutal murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey will finally be named when they are sentenced, a judge has ruled. The two teens, who were just 15 at the time of the crime, lured Brianna to Linear Park in Culcheth, near Warrington, where she was horrifically stabbed 28 times in her head, neck, and back with a hunting knife on 11 February.

Throughout their trial at Manchester Crown Court, the pair, who are now 16, were granted anonymity due to their age and were only identified as girl X and boy Y. However, following their guilty verdicts, the judge has ordered that they can now be identified for the first time.

Brianna's mother, Esther Ghey, expressed remarkable empathy and compassion for the parents of the defendants after the verdict. Mrs. Justice Yip praised her for her humanity and fortitude, stating that anyone who directed vitriol or malice towards the defendants' families would be acting against the express wishes of Brianna's bereaved mother.

The judge ruled that there is a strong public interest in the full and unrestricted reporting of this exceptional case, stating that the public has a right to know the identities of the young people responsible in order to understand how such a dreadful act could have been committed. Continuing restrictions on their identification would inhibit full and informed debate and restrict the full reporting of the case.

The court heard that the teenagers, who had been friends since they were 11, were obsessed with violence, torture, and death, and had compiled a "kill list" including Brianna and four other children. Despite claiming that the thousands of texts and WhatsApp messages they exchanged were just "dark fantasies," both were found guilty of the frenzied and ferocious attack that resulted in Brianna's murder.

As the judge prepares to sentence them in the new year, they are facing life prison terms for their heinous crime.

Share With Others