Justice Amanda Yip lifted the reporting restrictions on naming the killers of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey. They were identified at Manchester Crown Court as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.
The horrific murder shocked the nation. Ghey was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in broad daylight after being lured to a park in the town of Warrington on Feb. 11, 2023.
Yip handed Ratcliffe and Jenkinson a mandatory life sentence, and ordered them to serve a minimum term of 20 and 22 years, respectively, before they could be eligible for parole. If they had been adults — over the age of 18 — they would have faced much longer minimum terms. They will be transferred to adult prisons when they turn 18. Neither showed no visible reaction on being sentenced.
That’s standard in the UK. Our justice system views rehabilitation as the ultimate goal, not punishment. They will serve this as a minimum, but will likely never see life outside of a cell based on their reaction to being sentenced.
Even after parole, their life will forever be scrutinised by law enforcement and medical examiners to determine their mental state. Anything that doesn’t scream “normal member of society” puts them back in jail.