Brianna Ghey’s murderers will be named next year, judge says

The two teenagers who murdered Brianna Ghey will be named next year at their sentencing hearing, a judge has said.

Up until now, the teenagers – who were found guilty of Ghey’s murder at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday (20 December) – have only been referred to as Girl X and Boy Y due to their age. Both are just 16 years old.

However, after a jury found both teenagers guilty of murder, the judge decided that their anonymity orders will be lifted when they’re sentenced on 2 February 2024.

Mrs Justice Yip said there was a public interest in lifting restrictions on reporting the teenagers’ names, however she said the welfare of the defendants could be put at risk if supports were not put in place, BBC News reported.

The judge acknowledged that naming Ghey’s murderers would “cause distress to their families”, and she noted that they had already faced threats and harassment due to their children’s actions.

“I believe the appropriate balance can be achieved by directing that the order may be lifted but placing a [delay] upon it until the date of sentencing,” she said.

Teenagers who murdered Brianna Ghey had a ‘thirst for killing’

Ghey, a 16-year-old trans girl, was found dead in a park in Culcheth, Warrington, in February 2023. She had been stabbed 28 times.

Two teenagers, known as Girl X and Boy Y, were subsequently charged with her murder. During the trial in Manchester, the court heard that the pair had a “thirst for killing” and were fascinated by torture.

A “murder plan” was later discovered in girl X’s bedroom, and investigators discovered that they had put together a “kill list” made up of five children before they settled on making Ghey their first target.

The court also heard that Boy Y had referred to Ghey as “it” rather than “she”, which he said was a “joke” between himself and Girl X.

Speaking after the verdict, Mrs Justice Yip said she would have to impose a life sentence for both defendants. She explained that she will now have to decide what the “minimum amount of time you will be required to serve before you might be considered for release” should be.

Outside the court, Ghey’s mother Esther described her daughter as “larger than life, funny, witty and fearless”. She said her house feels “empty” without Brianna.

“To know how scared my usually fearless child must have been when she was alone in that park, with someone that she called her friend, will haunt me forever,” she said. 

Peter Spooner, Ghey’s father, told the press outside court that he knew his child was going to be a “star” and “the amount of support she received from the followers on TikTok proves this”. 

“It’s difficult to comprehend how some people can do these vile things in the world and don’t understand how cruel and heartbreaking their actions can be,” he said. 

“The impact of Brianna’s death has not just affected me as a father, but also my whole family. My heart bleeds every day for Brianna and this will never go away.”

Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans free on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.