One of the two teenagers who was found guilty of murdering 16-year-old British transgender woman Brianna Ghey has been refused permission to appeal his sentence.
Warning: This story has details of violence against a person who was transgender. Information in this article might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
Eddie Ratclife and collaborator Scarlett Jenkinson were both 15 years old when they plotted to lure Ghey to a park in Warrington, Cheshire on the 11th of February 2023. There they fatally stabbed the teenager and left her to bleed to death.
The pair were found guilty of murder in December 2023, and the judge lifted the suppression order on their identities.
Ratcliffe was sentenced to a minimum period of 20 years in jail. His legal team asked for permission to appeal his sentence arguing that the trial judge failed to take into account his “immaturity”.
The Crown Prosecutor opposed the appeal saying that the sentence was “appropriate” and not “manifestly excessive”.
A panel of three judges reviewed the submission and found that there were not sufficient grounds to launch an appeal.
Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Justice Lavender and Justice Murray ruled that there suggested grounds for appeal were “not arguable”.
Ghey was stabbed 28 times it was described as a “ferocious” attack. She had met the two teenagers in Culcheth Linear Park, a few miles from her Birchwood home. The wounds of her body were to her head, neck, back and chest.
The two teenagers lured Ghey to the park with the intention of murdering her. The court head that the pair had planned the assault and discussed killing Ghey for a significant amount of time ahead of her death.
The two, who had known each other since they were 11 years old, had fantasised about killing five potential victims including school classmates and other acquaintances. The murder was not classified as a hate crime because the other potential victims were not transgender.
The trial jury took just under five hours to arrive at their conclusion that both of the teenagers were responsible for Ghey’s death. They had both pleaded not guilty, blaming each other for the murder.
