Brianna Ghey was immersed in darkness, inquest hears

Teenage murder victim Brianna Ghey struggled with her mental health and was “immersed in darkness” before she died, an inquest into her death has heard.

Brianna, who was 16, was stabbed to death by teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in Culcheth Linear Park, in Warrington, in February 2023.

The two killers, who were both 15 at the time, are serving minimum sentences of 22 and 20 years respectively after being convicted of the transgender teenager’s murder.

Her family have said they want answers about why one of her killers was transferred to her school.

The inquest opened at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington earlier.

It heard Jenkinson was moved from Culcheth High School to Birchwood High School in a “managed transfer” because of her behaviour.

Coroner Jacqueline Devonish said one of the issues the inquest will deal with is whether it could have been reasonably foreseen that Brianna was placed at risk by being in the same inclusion room at the school as Jenkinson.

Brianna’s father, Peter Spooner, told the hearing he wanted to know how both schools had dealt with the transfer and which staff at Birchwood knew about Jenkinson’s background.

The inquest also heard a statement from the mother of Ratcliffe, who said her son was a “good child” and was headed to Oxbridge before killing Brianna.

Alice Hemmings said her son had “good morals” and “a loving, caring family behind him”.

“Eddie clearly knows right and wrong, good and bad and is not a risk taker,” she added.

Ratcliffe’s mother made two statements, read to the inquest, both made after her son’s arrest and before his trial.

She told how she drove her son to Culcheth to meet with Jenkinson and Brianna on the afternoon of the murder.

“During [the] journey he was constantly checking his phone,” Ms Hemming said. “He seemed to be tense and moody, not like him at all.

“I don’t know why but I felt uneasy on this day.”

Ms Hemming said he had never been in trouble at school and was conscientious with his studies.

She said he does not drink, smoke or take drugs and was focused on his exams, eventually passing eight GCSEs, and had been planning to study microbiology at university.

But she also described his other characteristics, saying he has “a lot of autistic traits” including certain routines he sticks to around food and clothes.

“He spends a lot of time alone in his room,” she added.

“He does struggle to express himself. He’s very shy and lacks confidence. He finds it difficult to show his emotions.

“He’s a sensitive character. He’s a very caring person.”

The inquest also heard about the mental health problems Brianna had before she was killed.

In a statement read to the court, her mother, Esther Ghey, described how Brianna was hyperactive when she was growing up, before she began living as a girl.

Ms Ghey said her daughter began struggling with her mental health from the age of 14, but refused to engage with the Child Adolescent Mental Health Service.

Brianna then developed an eating disorder that resulted in her being hospitalised, the inquest heard.

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.

“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.

The hearing was also told that when Brianna wanted to transition, she had threatened to kill herself if she did not receive hormone medication.

Ms Ghey said she tried to hold off for as long as possible due to concerns about the long-term effects of such medication, but eventually felt she had to agree.

“I don’t know if she would have [taken her own life] but I couldn’t take the risk,” she said.

Brianna started taking puberty blockers and oestrogen that Ms Ghey ordered from an online service.

Her mother said Brianna’s mental health deteriorated in lockdown and she began to live her life mainly online.

She looked at Twitter accounts that promoted eating disorders and self-harm.

After lockdown, Brianna did not attend lessons in school because of anxiety.

“She went down a hole of negativity,” Ms Ghey said.

At one stage, Ms Ghey took Brianna’s phone off her and said she seemed so much happier, describing her at the hearing as “a different child”.

Ms Ghey said she was “thankful” and relieved when Brianna began socialising with Jenkinson, the court heard.

But in fact Jenkinson had been planning Brianna’s murder for weeks.

Ms Ghey said: “When police came to the door [in February 2023] I just knew something like this was going to happen. It was such a dark time.

“When Brianna was younger, she was a bundle of joy, in later years she was immersed in darkness.

“It sometimes feels like I’m grieving two different people.”

The inquest continues.

Additional reporting by PA Media