Brianna Ghey’s brave mother Esther was among tearful mourners who joined a vigil this afternoon to mark one year since the transgender pupil was stabbed to death in a park by two teenage killers.
Members of the community rocked by the senseless murder gathered at the Golden Square Shopping Centre in Warrington to pay their respects and support Brianna’s family.
Flowers, candles and a painting of Brianna were laid outside the shopping centre, with many mourners wearing her favourite colour pink in tribute to the teen.
Speaking to the congregation of mourners Brianna’s tearful mother spoke of how her daughter had ‘taught me so much and gave me so much happiness and love’.
She added: ‘I would like to thank you all for coming here today and paying respect to Brianna. I hope wherever she is now she can feel the love and respect we have for her today.’
Serial obsessives Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, were jailed earlier this month for murdering the 15-year-old.
Brianna Ghey ‘s brave mother Esther was among tearful mourners today who joined a vigil to mark one year since the teenager was stabbed to death
Brianna, 15, was killed Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington, where she was stabbed 28 times in her head
A mourner lays a bunch of pink flowers underneath a canvas painting of Brianna
Flowers, candles and a painting of Brianna were laid outside the shopping centre during the vigil
They had lured Brianna into Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington, where she was stabbed 28 times in her head, neck and back with a hunting knife brought by Ratcliffe.
Detectives fear the ‘warped’ duo with a ‘taste for killing’ may have moved onto another victim had they not been arrested barely 24 hours after they knifed Brianna to death.
The body of ‘timid’ Brianna was found lying face-down in the mud with 28 stab wounds after the ‘frenzied’ attack at a popular beauty spot in a Cheshire village on February 11 last year.
Her twisted killers, described as a ‘danger to society’ by their victim’s mother, had planned the attack in great detail, with a handwritten note in Jenkinson’s room reading: ‘Saturday 11th February 2023. Victim: Brianna Ghey’.
They then desperately sought to cover their tracks, with Jenkinson posting a Snapchat tribute that called Brianna ‘such an amazing friend’ and ‘one of the best people I’ve ever met’.
During the two teenagers trial, who were 15 at the time of the murder, Brianna’s mother Esther told the court her daughter had ‘plans for her future’ that she will never be able to fulfill.
She said: ‘The fact that Brianna was taken from me in such a heinous way causes a pain that I struggle to describe. No parent should ever have to bury their child. She should have been around for the rest of my life.
Brianna’s mother Esther was seen arriving at the vigil today one year on from when her daughter was killed
Members of the community paying tribute to Brianna arrived with candles and pink flowers
People gathered in the Golden Square Shopping Centre in Warrington this afternoon
‘Brianna had plans for her future which we will never have the chance to support her with. She wanted to go to college and study beauty therapy; she was looking forward to being old enough to have a little job like her big sister.
‘We had also discussed her learning to drive, and she had even picked out which pink car she would like for her 18th birthday.’
She described Jenkinson and Ratcliffe as a ‘danger to society’, adding: ‘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.’
Brianna’s father Peter Spooner added: ‘Being a father of a transgender child was a difficult thing to deal with. Without people accusing me of dead naming my child, most of my memories are with my son Brett.
‘Our memories are engraved on my heart. He was funny, cheeky and would pull faces to make me laugh. He was my baby, my only Son and his decision to transition was such a brave and confident thing to do.
‘Even though I grieved the son I lost, I was proud to gain another beautiful daughter. Her appearance changed as she blossomed into a lovely young girl, her eyes were the same, she had my eyes when I looked at her. We were forming a new relationship and these two murderers have stolen that from us both.
Brianna’s tearful mother Esther (pictured) spoke of how her daughter had ‘taught me so much and gave me so much happiness and love’.
A note left for angel Brianna today at her vigil
‘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 onto 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 naïve or vulnerable which they are not, they are pure evil, Brianna was the vulnerable one.
‘They were determined to kill and never gave up until they had blood on their hands, my Brianna’s blood.
‘Not an ounce of remorse has been shown from these murderers, putting myself and my family through this awful trial having to hear the details about how Brianna suffered. It is unforgivable.’
Jenkinson and Ratcliffe showed no emotion as they were sentenced to 22 years and 20 years, respectively, after a judge ruled that Brianna had been killed because she was trans.
Mrs Justice Yip said that because each killer was aware of the other’s motivations, she considered them both to be partly driven by transphobia.
Ever since the evil pair were jailed, Brianna’s mother has been open speaking about her daughter’s death and campaigning to curb mobile phone use amongst children.
The anniversary vigil held this afternoon had been organised by Peace in Mind – a campaign to improve mindfulness in schools – being driven by Brianna’s mother Esther
