The murder of Brianna Ghey – podcast

On Friday at Manchester crown court, Mrs Justice Yip sentenced two teenagers to life in prison for what she called the “exceptionally brutal” murder of Brianna Ghey in Warrington last year. Handing down the long sentences to Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, she said the killing was partly motivated by Brianna’s transgender identity.

The Guardian’s north of England editor, Helen Pidd, tells Nosheen Iqbal about how she covered the case from the start and watched the evidence unfold. Scarlett Jenkinson, who was described by the judge as the “driving force” behind the murder, was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years for what the Crown Prosecution Service said was “one of the most disturbing cases” its lawyers had ever dealt with.

Eddie Ratcliffe, a quiet and studious former champion kickboxer, was given 20 years for killing Brianna, an “out and proud” transgender girl who hoped to become a beauty therapist. The pair, both 16, were named for the first time before the sentencing after the judge lifted reporting restrictions.

Speaking at the weekend to the BBC, Brianna’s mother said she would be open to meeting the mother of Jenkinson to tell her she “does not blame her for what her child has done”. She has launched a campaign to push for legislation that would mean under-16s could only have child-safe phones that do not have access to social media and would automatically flag searches for harmful content to a parent’s phone.