Schoolgirl Brianna Ghey left her home on February 11 for the final time before she was stabbed to death in broad daylight by Boy Y and Girl X – who have now been found guilty of her murder
Brianna Ghey’s final movements were tracked after she left home for the final time before being callously murdered by fellow schoolchildren in a frenzied attack.
The 16-year-old was stabbed to death 28 times in broad daylight on February 11 of this year in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington, Cheshire. Today, two teenagers, identified as Boy Y and Girl X, were found guilty of murdering the young girl.
The evil pair, who cannot be named for legal reasons, both denied murder and blamed each other for the tragic events that unfolded. During a lengthy trial at Manchester Crown Court, the jury heard of Boy Y and Girl X’s fascination for violence and torture and heard about Brianna’s last moments before she fell victim to the shocking attack.
Deanna Heer KC led the prosecution and alleged that the two teenagers, now aged 16 but aged 15 when Brianna died, spent a considerable amount of time plotting Brianna’s murder. The court heard that they discussed killing others as well, before deciding they would lead her to the park and stab her.
The Liverpool Echo reported on November 29 that a jury of seven men and five women were played Ring doorbell camera footage, which showed Brianna leaving her home in the Birchwood area of the town at around 12.45pm on the day she was killed.
The footage shows the schoolgirl on her phone as she pulls her front door shut, wearing a white hoodie, black skirt and knee-high white socks and carrying a bag over one shoulder. Still on her phone, she walks down the path to the gate, then opens it and heads out, still texting as she passes out of sight of the camera.
This was the final time she left her home. She then caught the number 28 bus from Birchwood Station to Culcheth Library. A statement which was read to the court on behalf of bus driver Kieran Mercer said: “From the moment I saw her, I felt there was something odd about her. I felt as if she was going out of her way not to be seen. She was very timid and quietly spoken. She gave the impression she was just someone who wanted to be left alone.
At 1.41pm, Brianna messaged her mum Esther Ghey to say: “I’m on bus by myself. I’m scared”. Ms Ghey texted back “That’s well good”. She added in court: “I was really proud of her. I don’t think she ever saw it.”
In court, prosecutors read a statement from bus driver Kieran Mercer who was driving the bus Brianna boarded to meet Girl X on the day of her murder. He said: “The thing that made her stand out was the way she was dressed. It was freezing cold that day, I couldn’t believe she wasn’t wearing warmer clothing.”
He said she asked for a ‘child single to Culcheth’. “From the moment I saw her I just felt there was something odd about her,” he said. “I felt as if she was going out of her way not to be seen, adding: “She just gave the impression she was someone who just wanted to be left alone.”
Brianna was said to have “last logged onto WhatsApp” at 1.47pm. Girl X and Boy Y were said to have met her at the bus stop before they headed to Culcheth Linear Park. Another Ring doorbell camera caught the trio of teenagers entering an alleyway leading to the park at 2.02pm.
A statement was read on behalf of witness Rachel Powell, whose son is the partner of Esther Ghey, Brianna’s mother. She said she was driving in Culcheth on February 11 and noticed Brianna walking on the pavement with two people.
She said she only saw them for a ‘couple of seconds’ and was paying attention to Brianna, due to her being a family member.
Ms Powell said she regarded them as being ‘normal teenagers’ who were ‘talking and laughing’ and said that ‘nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary’ – but this was far from the reality.
The court heard that the two teens used a codeword to signal when to start the attack to kill Brianna. Police had found a note in the girl’s bedroom when she was arrested, which was later read out in court by Ms Heer. It read: “Meet Boy Y at wooden posts 1pm. Walk down to library … bus stop. Wait until Brianna gets off bus then the 3 of us walk to linear park. Go to the pipe/tunnel area. I say code word to boy Y. He stabs her in the back as I stab her in the stomach. Boy Y drags the body into the area. We both cover up the area with logs etc.”
Later on at 3.13pm, a dog walker called 999 after finding Brianna gravely injured. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 4.02pm. Ms Heer said: “The number of wounds and the pattern of injuries, taken as a whole, suggests that Brianna was subjected to a sustained and violent assault with a knife.”
She told the court that bottles of soft drinks were found at the scene with DNA from Girl X and Boy Y, indicating they had been present. She said they remained together as they walked away from the park and were spotted on dashcam walking together on Wigshaw Lane at 3.15pm.
Today, the judge told the court a sentencing hearing will take place in the new year. Mrs Justice Yip told the two defendants: “I will have to impose a life sentence. What I have to decide is the minimum amount of time you will be required to serve before you might be considered for release. I’m not going to do that this week. I’m going to ask for some reports in relation to each of you.”