British teen watched murder video on ‘dark web’ before stabbing trans girl

Brianna Ghey has thousands of followers on the social media platform TikTok.

Manchester:

A British judge on Friday lifted a rare ban on identification in court for two teenagers convicted of murdering a 16-year-old transgender girl in a “frenetic and ferocious” knife attack.

Last February, Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, murdered Brianna Gay in Warrington, northwest England, in a case that shocked the nation because of their young age.

The victim was stabbed 28 times in the head, neck, back and chest. Her body was discovered by a dog walker in a park.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were only 15 years old at the time.

Under-18s who stand trial in the UK are usually granted anonymity, but the restriction can be challenged by the media after conviction in the most serious cases.

Judge Ye Manda agreed to lift the anonymity order at the end of the trial and ruled that their names could be released at Friday’s sentencing hearing.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were found guilty after a jury of seven men and five women deliberated for almost five hours following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Before sentencing, the judge addressed the pair before they were returned to prison, telling them she must impose life sentences for their convictions.

“What I have to decide is the minimum period of time you need to serve before you are considered for release,” she said, adding that she would consider both reports before making a decision.

‘Unbelievable’

During the trial, the court heard how Jenkinson and Ratcliffe discussed killing Gay in the days and weeks before her death.

Jurors were told that Jenkinson – known as Girl .

The court heard she developed an interest in serial killers, documented their methods and admitted enjoying “dark fantasies” about killings and torture.

According to prosecutors, the pair later drew up a “kill list” of four other young people they intended to harm until Guy “unfortunately” became friends with Jenkinson, who became “obsessed” with her.

The jury heard that Gay had thousands of followers on social media platform TikTok but was a withdrawn, shy and anxious teenager who struggled with depression and rarely left home.

Deputy Chief Prosecutor Ursula Doyle said after the verdict that the case was “one of the most distressing” she had ever handled.

“The planning, the violence and the age of the killer are mind-boggling,” she noted.

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