Footage shows Brianna Ghey leaving home before she was ‘murdered by two teenagers’
Jurors have been shown footage of Brianna Ghey leaving home before she was allegedly murdered by two teenagers.
A doorbell camera captured the 16-year-old, who was transgender, as she left home for the last time on 11 February before she was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife in her head, chest, back and neck.
Two 16-year-olds, who can only be identified as girl X and boy Y, are on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of murdering Brianna in Culcheth Linear Park near Warrington in Cheshire on 11 February.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC described Brianna’s “distinctive look” as she left her house with long red hair and glasses, wearing a fluffy white hooded jacket, a short grey tartan skirt and white over-the-knee socks, while carrying a checked shoulder bag.
Brianna Ghey was stabbed 28 times. Pic: Cheshire Police
Brianna can be seen using her phone and the court heard she sent a message to her mother Esther Ghey saying: “I’m leaving to go see [girl X]” and “dogs are locked up”.
CCTV footage shows her walking to the bus stop where she gets on the number 28 on her way to meet girl X and boy Y, who were both 15 at the time.
Driver Kieran Mercer said in a statement read in court there was “something odd about her” and “she was going out of her way not to be seen”.
He described her as “very timid, very quietly spoken and very delicate”, adding: “She just gave the impression she was someone who wanted to be left alone.”
Jurors were shown a picture Brianna sent to her mother of the inside of the bus and a message which said: “I’m on the bus by myself, I’m scared”.
Brianna sent a text to her mother saying ‘I’m scared’ shortly before her death, a court heard
Ms Ghey said in a statement read in court she replied “that’s well good” as “I was really proud of her”, telling jurors in a statement her daughter didn’t go out much because of her anxiety.
“I don’t think she ever saw it because it showed as being delivered but it didn’t turn blue,” she added.
The court heard Brianna was last captured on a doorbell camera with girl X and boy Y heading towards Culcheth Linear Park shortly after 2pm.
Both defendants deny murder and blame each other for her death.
Brianna Ghey’s mother Esther Ghey (L) arriving at Manchester Crown Court earlier this week
Girl X ‘tried to kill Brianna with overdose’
The court heard weeks before Brianna’s death, girl X gave her an overdose of ibuprofen gel tablets, telling boy Y in a message on 23 January “that should have been enough to kill her”.
But girl X said that although Brianna had messaged to say “I feel so bad” and “Oh my god I just threw up and it’s the colour of Fanta”, she “didn’t die”, in messages read out by prosecutor Deanna Heer KC.
The court heard girl X also talked about a potential plan to put toilet cleaner and ibuprofen gel in a McDonalds milkshake, and she claimed to have already killed two people, prompting boy Y to say: “You’re one kill away from being a serial killer.”
Read more from the trial:
Brianna Ghey’s alleged killers ‘used code word’
Teens accused of Brianna’s murder had ‘preoccupation with death’
Prosecutors have told the jury girl X and boy Y’s messages show the defendants were “preoccupied” with torture, murder and death, but there is no evidence they acted on their words before 23 January.
In a statement read to jurors by junior prosecutor Cheryl Mottram, Brianna’s mother said she remembered one occasion not long before the teenager’s death when her daughter was “really sick”.
She said Brianna appeared to be in “real pain” and was “screaming and crying for me to help her” after she got home from work and went into the kitchen to make tea.
“She was in her bedroom rolling around in agony, holding her stomach,” Ms Ghey said.
“She was writhing around in pain screaming, ‘I think I’m going to die’. It was quite frightening.”
Ms Ghey said she thought Brianna might have appendicitis and when she went to get her phone, her daughter said: “Don’t leave me, don’t leave me.”
She said Brianna was sick all over her bedroom floor, with what appeared to be “grape skins” in the clear liquid, before her condition improved.
Ms Ghey said her daughter “generally stayed in” because of her anxiety but would sometimes go to McDonalds with girl X.
She said Brianna was usually at home by the time she got back from work, adding: “I don’t know how often they spent time together, where they went or what they did.”
Ms Ghey told the jury it was “a blur” after police told her about Brianna’s death.
Only girl X was in court today, with boy Y appearing by video-link from his secure accommodation unit.
Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip told the jury they may notice that boy Y is playing with a fidget or tangle toy, or he may have a crossword book with him, which experts have told her helps him concentrate – and girl X has similar devices.
The trial continues.
Police have appealed for information after a man was charged with murdering two women and raping a third.
Simon Levy has been charged with murdering 53-year-old Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo who died on the Aylesbury Estate, south-east London, on 17 March, the Metropolitan Police said.
In September, Levy, of Beaufoy Road, Tottenham, north London, was charged with murdering 39-year-old Sheryl Wilkins who was found unresponsive in High Road, Tottenham, on 24 August.
He is also accused of grievous bodily harm with intent, non-fatal strangulation and two counts of rape against a third woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Haringey, north London, on 21 January, police said.
The 40-year-old will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with Ms Valencia-Trujillo’s murder.
Sheryl Wilkins was found unresponsive in High Road, Tottenham, on 24 August. Pic: Metropolitan Police
He is also due to appear at the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a plea and trial preparation hearing for the murder of Ms Wilkins.
Detectives believe there may be individuals who have information relevant to this investigation – or who are yet to report incidents which have directly impacted them – and are asking for people to come forward.
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UK
Family of woman killed 56 years ago, in a case of mistaken identity, believe her remains are buried in a garden
A new “national day” to honour victims and survivors of terrorism will be added to the calendar from next year, it has been revealed.
The annual commemoration will fall on 21 August, and will be marked in a different place each year to recognise the widespread impact of terrorism around the country.
It comes after a 12-week public consultation showed 91% supported the plan for a national day, and 84% strongly supported the proposal.
Flowers left in St Ann’s Square, Manchester, to remember the Manchester Arena terror attack. Pic: PA
How the day will look, including a final name and symbol, will be worked out collaboratively between survivors and ministers, according to the Home Office.
But it will “honour and remember victims and survivors of terrorism”, encouraging survivors to access specialist support, spotlighting their stories, and educating the public.
A spokesperson for the Home Office confirmed that it would not be a bank holiday.
Jo Berry, whose father Sir Anthony Berry was killed in the IRA Brighton hotel bombing in 1984, said victims of terrorism would no longer be “a footnote of history”.
Jo Berry, whose father was killed in the Brighton bombing in 1984, with convicted bomber Patrick Magee in 2004. File pic: PA
She said: “What we remember as a nation matters. It sends a signal about what we value.
“For too long, survivors of terror attacks, and those who have been killed in them, have been a footnote of history. Survivors have felt ignored and forgotten.
“That’s why Survivors Against Terror launched a campaign for a new national day of memorial three years ago.”
Read more:
Referrals to UK counter-terrorism programme reach new high
I was reporting in London during 7/7 – here’s what happened
Travis Frain, who survived the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017, also backed the campaign.
He said: “A national day would provide an opportunity to remember those we have lost, to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of those who have survived these heinous acts, and for us to look forward to the future to educate the next generation.”
The date was chosen to coincide with the UN International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
Plans have also been announced for a new support hub to help victims in the aftermath of terror attacks.
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