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Teenage murderer of Brianna Ghey has bid to challenge length of sentence dismissed

5 December 2024, 15:08 | Updated: 5 December 2024, 17:02

One of two teenagers convicted of murdering 16-year-old Brianna Ghey has had a bid to challenge the length of his sentence dismissed.

Brianna was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife during the deadly attack by Eddie Ratcliffe and co-defendant Scarlett Jenkinson in a park near Warrington in February last year.

Ratcliffe, who was 15 at the time of the attack, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years in February this year, with a judge describing the murder as "exceptionally brutal" and finding that he had expressed transphobia about his victim.

Lawyers for Ratcliffe, who is now 17 and has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism, told a hearing at the Court of Appeal in London that the sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Yip, had failed to take into account his "immaturity" and that the minimum term was "far too high".

The Crown Prosecution Service opposed the appeal bid, arguing the sentence was "appropriate" and was not "manifestly excessive".

In a ruling on Thursday, three senior judges dismissed the bid, ruling that arguments made for reducing Ratcliffe's sentence were "based on a false premise".

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Summarising their judgment, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Mr Justice Lavender and Mr Justice Murray, said: "The judge's choice of a starting point of 20 years for a minimum term was correct, for the reasons that she gave.

"The judge was then entitled to take into account the aggravating factors as identified."

She continued: "The sentence imposed by the judge on the applicant was neither manifestly excessive, nor wrong in principle. The proposed grounds (of appeal) are not arguable."

Ratcliffe, dressed in a dark suit, shirt and tie, attended the hearing via a videolink.

He showed no emotion as the appeal bid was dismissed, with his mother present in court.

The court also heard that Brianna's family were in attendance remotely.

The earlier trial at Manchester Crown Court heard that Brianna, who was transgender, had thousands of followers on TikTok.

But in reality, Brianna was a withdrawn, shy and anxious teenager who struggled with depression and rarely left her home.

Jurors were told that her two killers were intelligent, "high-functioning" and came from normal backgrounds, but had a fascination for violence, torture and murder and had a "thirst for killing".