Brianna Ghey

Did You Know?

• Ghey was stabbed 28 times across her head, neck, chest, and back.
• Jenkinson had previously tried to poison Ghey with an excessive amount of ibuprofen, which Ghey's mother thought was appendicitis.
• Ghey's funeral was held at St Elphin's Church, Warrington, on 15 March 2023.

Background

Brianna Ghey was a Year 11 pupil at Birchwood Community High School in Warrington. She was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, which her mother said impaired her ability to identify dangerous situations, as well as anxiety. These diagnoses meant she did not participate in regular lessons and required one-on-one tutoring in the school's inclusion room, where she eventually met Scarlett Jenkinson. According to her friends, Ghey often helped younger transgender girls safely and legally obtain transgender hormone therapy. She reportedly faced years of transphobic harassment and bullying, including being repeatedly 'gang beaten'; however, in a statement reportedly approved by Ghey's mother, the headteacher denied that Ghey had faced bullying at school. Ghey was a TikToker with a follower count variously reported as 11,000, 31,000, and 63,000, where she mimed and danced to popular songs. One of her final TikToks said she was 'excluded from school'. Jenkinson had attended Culcheth High School and faced permanent exclusion after giving cannabidiol-infused edibles to a younger classmate, who fell ill. She transferred to Birchwood, where she met and formed a friendship with Ghey. In text messages, Jenkinson revealed she was obsessed with Ghey and wanted to 'kill her so she would always be with her'. Before the murder, Jenkinson displayed a fascination with serial killers and used the Tor browser to access videos of torture and murder on the dark web.

Trial

The murder trial of Brianna Ghey was held at Manchester Crown Court starting on 27 November 2023, presided over by Judge Amanda Yip. Because the defendants were minors, court rules kept their identities secret; they were called Girl X and Boy Y during proceedings. While in custody, Girl X showed signs of autism and ADHD, and Boy Y was diagnosed as autistic with selective mutism, meaning he could only speak to his mother. To accommodate this, Boy Y typed on a computer to communicate in court, and both defendants could appear via video link. The jury learned that the defendants' neurodivergence might influence their behavior and speech. The prosecution, led by Deanna Heer, showed text messages revealing that Girl X had earlier tried to poison Brianna with a large dose of ibuprofen, hoping it would look like a suicide. When that failed, the pair plotted to stab her with a hunting knife that Boy Y bought. In one message, Boy Y wrote that he wanted to see if Brianna would scream like a man or a girl. Each defendant blamed the other for the actual stabbing, claiming they were only accomplices. The prosecution's case ran from 27 November to 8 December 2023.

Reactions

Ghey's death prompted responses from her family, local community, politicians, charities, activists, and musicians. Her family said her death had 'left a massive hole in our family'. Labour Party MP Dawn Butler said anyone using her deadname should be ashamed; Nadia Whittome said Brianna deserved to live to see a world where trans people are safe; Jeremy Corbyn stated she was killed because she wanted to be herself. The Miami Herald reported thousands in the LGBTQ community were grieving. Stonewall and Mermaids expressed sympathy. Transgender community helplines reported large increases in calls concerning transphobia, gender identity, and hate crimes. Twitter campaigns called for the UK government to issue a Gender Recognition Certificate to Ghey; a petition reached over 13,000 signatures but was rejected. In April 2023, the Trans Safety Network reported that a coroner had agreed a Gender Recognition Certificate was unnecessary to record the correct name and gender on a death certificate. In the third quarter of 2023, Ghey's death was registered under her correct name and female gender at death.

Legacy

In February 2024, two BBC programmes, the television documentary Big Cases: Killed in the Park and the radio documentary A Plan to Kill – The Murder of Brianna Ghey, looked into the killing. Esther Ghey started a local campaign in Warrington in September 2023 to bring mindfulness training to schools, gathering £80,000. The following year, she supported a national effort with MP Charlotte Nichols to push for government-funded mindfulness programs in every English school. On 7 February 2024, she attended a House of Commons debate on the topic. After the trial concluded, she advocated for a ban on smartphones for those under 16, and a petition she launched had surpassed 90,000 signatures by February 2024. A vigil at Warrington’s Golden Square Shopping Centre on the first anniversary drew over a thousand attendees, with speeches from family, friends, and local officials. The Live Your Truth concert, held on 18 February 2024 in Manchester’s Gay Village, raised more than £1,700 for the Peace in Mind UK campaign and the Mindfulness in Schools Project. By that date, Peace in Mind UK had raised £80,000. In March 2024, Esther Ghey met Jenkinson’s mother, praising her courage and noting that both were mothers dealing with an unimaginable situation. A memoir, Under a Pink Sky, written by Esther Ghey and published by Michael Joseph, along with the ITV documentary Brianna: A Mother’s Story by Iwan Roberts, came out in 2025. The case also featured in the sixth episode of TikTok: Murder Gone Viral, released on 21 October 2025. An inquest in October 2024, lasting three days, focused on Brianna’s phone use, revealing she had not let her mother access the device and that social workers lacked the authority to take it away.