The mother of murdered trans teen Brianna Ghey said she now considers the mother of her daughter’s killer “a friend” because “she’s lost a child too”.
Ghey, 16, was stabbed 28 times in the back, head and neck in a violent daytime assault in Culceth Linear Park in Warrington, Cheshire in February 2023.
Following four hours deliberation, a jury of seven men and five women at Manchester Crown Court unanimously convicted Eddie Ratcliffe and Scarlett Jenkinson – both 16 at the time – in December 2023 for the murder of Ghey.
The pair pre-planned the attack and consumed violent, graphic content online in the lead up to Ghey’s murder.
The standard anonymity order which protects under-18s in legal cases was lifted due to the serious nature of their crimes and their identities were revealed to the public. Jenkinson was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 22 years and Ratcliffe to life with a minimum of 20 years.
Speaking on the BBC ’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show, Brianna’s mother Esther revealed she has developed a bond with Jenkinson’s mum.
“I really appreciate Emma. I would call her a friend now,” she said of Jenkinson’s mum, saying she is “just a normal mother” and was unaware of her child’s activities online.
“I suppose it’s helped me in a way. You can make up stories in your own head about the way people are.”
“It’s helped me to see that we are both navigating something extremely difficult – and she’s lost a child too,” she added.
During the same interview Esther – who has raised money to get mindfulness training into schools in the wake of her daughter’s death – criticised the government’s approach to online safety as leaving her “frustrated” and said she supports a “blanket ban” on smartphones in schools.
“We need to support teachers in a blanket ban across England. If a school has banned phones in one area and in the same area another school hasn’t – it becomes an issue with parents,” she explained.
“It needs to be done across the board to make it easier.”
Her comments come after rumours swirled that the Online Safety Bill, part of which came into force in March, could be watered down to secure a more favourable trade deal with the United States after Donald Trump’s administration enacted unprecedented tariffs.
“While we are… questioning whether it’s strong enough or whether it should be watered down, young people are at harm, and young people are losing their lives,” she said of the legislation.
She told the Beeb: “Young people shouldn’t be struggling with mental health because of what they are accessing online, and we really do need to take a hard stance on this.”
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