02 February 2024 , 21:46
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The family of a girl sentenced today for killing Brianna Ghey have issued a statement expressing that they're sorry for their daughter's actions.
Scarlett Jenkinson, 16, was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years today for brutally stabbing Brianna to death in a park in Culcheth, while her co-defendant, Eddie Ratcliffe, also 16, was hit with a 20-year term.
The twisted 16-year-olds were unmasked for the first time as a judge ruled they could be named. They lured Brianna to the park last February before stabbing her 28 times in broad daylight with a hunting knife. The vulnerable youngster, who rarely went out alone, believed Jenkinson was her friend.
Jenkinson's family released a statement today, saying: "All of our thoughts are for Brianna and her family. The last 12 months have been beyond our worst nightmares as we have come to realise the brutal truth of Scarlett’s actions.
Brianna's mum Esther Ghey at Manchester Crown Court today (PA)“We agree with the jury's verdict, the judge's sentence and the decision to name the culprits," they told the Warrington Guardian. "Our lives are in turmoil, but our immediate focus is to make sure that we don’t do anything against the wishes of Brianna’s family."
Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
Brianna Ghey boarding a bus on the morning of her murder (PA)The statement continued as the family offered their "sincere thanks" to Brianna's mother for her "incredible selflessness and empathy towards our family". "Her compassion is overwhelming and we are forever grateful," the statement read. “To all of Brianna’s family and friends, our community and everyone else that has been affected by this horror, we are truly sorry.”
Eddie Ratcliffe during police interview (PA)It comes after Brianna's mother Esther, 37, spoke during the sentencing to share her heartbreaking victim impact statement. She told the court: “All I can think about is that she would have been scared and I wasn’t there for her. She needed me to protect her, Brianna wasn’t a fighter and she must have been so terrified."
Jenkinson pretended to befriend the trans teen (PA)"The fact that Brianna was taken from me in such a heinous way causes a pain that I struggle to describe", Esther added. "No parent should ever have to bury their child. She should have been around for the rest of my life. Brianna had plans for her future which we will never have the chance to support her with. When I remember the good memories that we made together it hurts so much because she’s not here anymore to remember them with me, and we will never get the chance to make more memories together."