Teenagers convicted of Brianna Ghey murder can be named, judge rules

Two teenagers found guilty of the “senseless” murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey can be named when they are sentenced in the new year, a judge has ruled.

Mrs Justice Yip on Thursday said she would lift orders preventing the identification of the killers, known as Girl X and Boy Y.

But she said reporting restrictions would remain until the sentencing date of 2 February next year.

Brianna was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back after being lured to a park in Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of 11 February.

A three-week trial at Manchester crown court heard that the killers, now 16, had a fascination for violence, torture and murder and had a “thirst for killing”.

Brianna was described as “witty, funny and fearless”. She was transgender but that was ruled out as a motive by police and prosecutors, who said that if the pair had not killed Brianna, they would have killed one of four other teenagers on a list of people they did not like.

The killers, who blamed each other for the murder, were described during the trial as intelligent, “high functioning” and from normal backgrounds.

Speaking after Wednesday’s guilty verdicts Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, said: “To now know how scared my usually fearless child must have been when she was alone in the park with someone that she called her friend will haunt me for ever.”

She said before the trial she had “moments where she felt sorry for the defendants because they had ruined their own lives as well as ours.

“But now knowing their true nature and seeing neither display an ounce of remorse for what they have done to Brianna, I have lost all sympathy … I am glad that they will spend many years in prison and away from society.”

More details soon …