Brianna Ghey
Brianna Ghey was a 16-year-old from Warrington, Cheshire. On February 11, 2023, she went to Culcheth Linear Park after arranging to meet Scarlett Jenkinson, whom she knew as a friend. Eddie Ratcliffe joined them.
The prosecution later established that the meeting was not spontaneous. Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had discussed killing Brianna in advance and had made plans for the attack. Their communications became an important part of the evidence at trial.
The investigation
Police arrested Jenkinson and Ratcliffe the day after Brianna's death. Investigators recovered physical and digital evidence that connected the teenagers to the attack and contradicted efforts to distance themselves from responsibility.
At trial, each defendant sought to place primary blame on the other. The jury nevertheless concluded that both had intentionally participated in the killing and convicted both of murder on December 20, 2023.
Reporting restrictions and identification
Because Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were children during the proceedings, they were initially identified publicly only as Girl X and Boy Y. After the guilty verdicts, Mrs Justice Yip considered whether the restrictions should continue.
On December 21, 2023, the court ruled that their names could be published at sentencing. That judicial decision is why this archive uses their names; it does not independently disclose identities that remained legally protected.
Sentencing
On February 2, 2024, Mrs Justice Yip sentenced both defendants to detention at His Majesty's pleasure, the form of life sentence applicable to offenders who committed murder while under 18. Jenkinson received a minimum term of 22 years and Ratcliffe a minimum term of 20 years before they may be considered for release.
The judge found that the murder was planned and that the defendants had different but overlapping motivations. The sentencing judgment found sadistic motivation on Jenkinson's part and hostility based on Brianna's transgender identity as a secondary motive for Ratcliffe. The court did not reduce the case to a single motive.
Ratcliffe's appeal attempt
Ratcliffe later sought permission to challenge the length of his minimum term, arguing that the sentencing judge had not sufficiently accounted for his maturity and developmental circumstances.
On December 5, 2024, the Court of Appeal rejected that application. The court held that the sentence was neither manifestly excessive nor wrong in principle, leaving Ratcliffe's 20-year minimum term in place. Jenkinson's 22-year minimum term also remains the sentence imposed by the trial judge.
Why the judicial wording matters
Public discussion often describes the case through shorthand labels. The legal record is more precise: both defendants were convicted of murder; both received life detention with specified minimum terms; and the sentencing court identified more than one motive. This archive follows those judicial findings rather than adding speculative psychological explanations.
Timeline
February 11, 2023: Brianna is killed in Culcheth Linear Park.
February 12, 2023: Jenkinson and Ratcliffe are arrested.
December 20, 2023: a Manchester Crown Court jury convicts both defendants of murder.
December 21, 2023: Mrs Justice Yip rules that their identities may be published at sentencing.
February 2, 2024: Jenkinson receives a 22-year minimum term and Ratcliffe a 20-year minimum term under life detention sentences.
December 5, 2024: the Court of Appeal refuses Ratcliffe permission to appeal his minimum term.
Current status
The case is Solved / Adjudicated. Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe stand convicted of Brianna Ghey's murder. The sentences imposed in February 2024 remain in force, and Ratcliffe's attempt to challenge his minimum term was rejected by the Court of Appeal in December 2024.