Inquest to investigate why Brianna Ghey's 'sadistic' killer was put in same school
11.04.2024 - 23:41
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A "sadistic" killer's placement in a classroom alongside vulnerable trans teenager Brianna Ghey will be investigated at the inquest into her death, a court has heard.
Brianna, 16, was lured to a park by schoolmate Scarlett Jenkinson and her friend Eddie Ratcliffe, both 15 at the time, before being stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife on February 11 of last year.
Both killers were jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court earlier this year. Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip ruled the "frenzied" and "brutal" murder had elements of sadism, with a secondary motive being Brianna's trans identity.
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Brianna had been a pupil at Birchwood High School, Warrington, where she was befriended by Jenkinson after she had transferred from Culcheth High School following an incident where pupils were given cannabis-laced sweets.
Following her "managed transfer" from Culcheth, where Ratcliffe was a pupil, within weeks Jenkinson became obsessed by Brianna and began plotting her murder with Ratcliffe.
From age 14, Jenkinson had enjoyed watching videos of real killing and torture on the dark web, fantasised about murder and developed an interest in serial killers, her murder trial heard.
At a pre-inquest hearing at Warrington Coroner's Court on Thursday, Jacqueline Devonish, senior coroner for Cheshire, outlined the scope of the inquest later this year, before lawyers representing both schools and children's services at Warrington Borough Council. Brianna's mother, Esther Ghey, also attended the hearing.
Ms Devonish said: "I think essentially, matters around safeguarding that we are going to be concerned with. How it is Brianna was brought into contact with