The two teenagers who murdered Brianna Ghey had devoted parents who were left devastated by their actions, weeping openly in court as the guilty verdicts were read out.
Speaking outside Manchester Crown Court after the trial, Brianna's mother Esther Ghey selflessly urged people to have 'empathy and compassion' for the families of the 16-year-olds, now known as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe. After thanking members of the jury for making society a 'safer place', Esther said: "Please have some empathy and compassion for the families of the young people convicted of this horrific crime. They too have lost a child and must live the rest of their lives knowing what their child has done."
Previously known as Child X and Boy Y, the callous killers were in December found guilty of the murder of 16-year-old Brianna, who died following a 'sustained and violent' attack in Culcheth Linear Park, in Warrington last February.
Brianna's mother Esther urged people to have 'empathy and compassion' for the murderer's families (Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)Mother who called police
The 18-day trial at Manchester Crown Court heard that the two teens were intelligent, high functioning, and came from 'normal' backgrounds. The killers' parents had steady and respectable jobs, and both had aspirations of going to university.
Ratcliffe's mother, of Leigh, is a skiing instructor and his father runs his businesses. Jenkinson, from Warrington, is the daughter of a high school teacher.
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The court heard of a recording of a 101 call made by Jenkinson's mother to Cheshire Police at 4.59 pm on February 12, in which she said: "My daughter was actually with Brianna just before it happened, my daughter and her friend Boy Y."
Jenkinson's voice could also be heard in the background, claiming they'd met at Culcheth Library at approximately 1.30 pm. She was then heard to state that Brianna later told her she had to leave as she was meeting up with a 17-year-old boy who had a car. While on the call, Jenkinson, who had that same day posted a Snapchat tribute to her 'amazing friend' Brianna, stated, "That's all I know."
The day after the murder, she attempted to cover her tracks by fabricating a story about a random man from Manchester, sending the following text to Brianna's phone: "Girl, is everything okay? Some teenage girl got killed in Linear Park it's on news everywhere. And why did you ditch us for some random man from Manchester. Like wtf. That is so f***** up."
When questioned in court, Jenkinson admitted she'd lied to her mother and the police in a bid to protect herself and Ratcliffe, but denied they were 'in it together' and also denied that they had conspired to murder Brianna.
Scarlett admitted lying to her mother and the police about Brianna (MEN Media)A neighbour told MailOnline of the killer's family: "They are such a nice couple, very hard-working, law-abiding people. When their daughter was arrested I just thought it had to be a mistake. She was never any trouble. I never so much as saw her drop a piece of litter."
Selective mute who could only speak to mum
It's understood that Ratcliffe has 'selective mutism', and so communicated in court by typing out his answers. Despite having a 'good overall understanding of language', he gradually stopped speaking to anyone following his arrest, apart from his mum.
The Liverpool Echo reported that junior counsel Steven Swift told the court: "Since his arrest, Boy Y has been diagnosed by psychologists with autistic spectrum disorder. Features of his ASD together with anxiety impact on his presentation and communication skills. Although Boy Y has a good overall understanding of language, following his remand he gradually stopped speaking to anyone apart from his mother. He has since been diagnosed with selective mutism. Boy Y’s silence is not a matter of choice, his verbal challenges are beyond his personal control."
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