An inquest into the death of 16-year-old murder victim Brianna Ghey has heard that she had struggled with her mental health and was “consumed by negativity” before she died. Brianna was fatally stabbed by teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in February 2023, with both killers now serving lengthy minimum sentences for her murder. The inquest will investigate whether Brianna was placed at risk at her school after one of her killers was transferred there from another institution.
Brianna’s family have said they want answers regarding why Jenkinson was transferred to her school, and which staff at Birchwood High School knew about Jenkinson’s background. The inquest has also heard about Brianna’s mental health struggles, which began when she was 14 years old. After developing an eating disorder, she was hospitalised and diagnosed with autism. Her mental health deteriorated during lockdown and she mainly lived her life online, looking at Twitter accounts that promoted eating disorders and self-harm.
Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, said that when Brianna wanted to transition, she had threatened to kill herself if she did not receive hormone medication. After Brianna began taking puberty blockers and oestrogen that Ms Ghey ordered from an online service, her mental health continued to decline. In fact, Jenkinson had been planning Brianna’s murder for several weeks, during which time Brianna began socializing with her. When police arrived at their door in 2023, Brianna’s mother said she just knew something like this was going to happen.
The inquest will continue to investigate whether Brianna was placed at risk by being in the same inclusion room at her school as Jenkinson. The hearing has also heard from the mother of Ratcliffe, who said her son was a “good child” and was headed to Oxbridge before the murder. She described her son as having “good morals” and “a loving, caring family behind him”, and stated that he had never been in trouble at school and was focused on his studies
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