'No amount of time spent in prison will be enough for these monsters', Brianna Ghey's heartbroken dad blasts killers
2 February 2024, 13:19 | Updated: 2 February 2024, 13:22
Brianna's father, Peter Spooner, branded his daughter's killers as "pure evil", who had "stolen" the new relationship he was forming with his daughter after she came out as transgender.
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At Manchester Crown Court, Mr Spooner condemned the actions of his daughter's murderers and branded them as monsters.
He continued: "We were forming a new relationship and these two murderers have stolen that from us both.
"I hate how Brianna's life has been brutally taken away from her and she has been deprived of the life she wanted to live.
"She never had the chance to sit her exams or go on to further education.
"Now my world has been torn apart, justice may have been done with the guilty verdicts, but no amount of time spent in prison will be enough for these monsters.
"I cannot call them children as that makes them sound naive or vulnerable, which they are not, they are pure evil. Brianna was the vulnerable one."
The two teenagers who murdered Brianna have been named publicly for the first time as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16.
Though the schoolgirl disliked leaving home, she set off on the bus to meet Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in Culcheth village, sending a text to her mum on the way which said she felt scared.
The pair, who were 15 at the time, then walked Brianna down narrow alleys and into the park, arriving at a bench where Brianna's body would later be found.
Anxious and vulnerable Brianna was stabbed 28 times in the head, neck, chest and back after being lured to Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of February 11 last year.
Both teenagers were found guilty following a trial late last year.
Read more: How Brianna Ghey's teen murderers became obsessed with serial killers and may have targeted another victim
Read more: 'How come I'm a suspect?': Brianna Ghey's killer sobs as police body cam shows moment she's arrested
Brianna's murder has left her mother, Esther Ghey, heartbroken.
In court, Ms Ghey’s victim impact statement was read by a prosecution barrister as she was too upset to read it herself.
The statement read how Ms Ghey felt as if her "heart had been ripped out" when she discovered Brianna was dead.
Ms Ghey also mentioned how Brianna's murder impacted the family, with the trans teen's sister, Alisha, quitting college after losing confidence in her abilities.
The statement added: "I want to help to make society a safer place for them to grow up, and the thought of Scarlett and Eddie being released from prison absolutely horrifies me.
I don’t believe that someone who is so disturbed and obsessed with murder and torture would ever be able to be rehabilitated.
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe seen being arrested and interviewed over murder of Brianna Ghey
I have moments where I feel sorry for them because they have also ruined their own lives, but I have to remember that they felt no empathy for Brianna when they left her bleeding to death after their premeditated and vicious attack, which was carried out not because Brianna had done anything wrong, but just because one hated trans people and the other thought it would be fun."
Brianna's step-father, Wesley Powell, also spoke in court and said: "Brianna had a large online following but in reality, she was lonely, vulnerable and in need of a close friend.
"Both Eddie and Scarlett knew this and preyed upon her vulnerabilities, acting as two predators stalking their prey."
After the statements were read she said: "They were very moving statements. I can feel the emotion in the courtroom."
