Jury in trial of teenagers accused of Brianna Ghey murder starts deliberations

Brianna, 16, was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in Linear Park, Culcheth, a village near Warrington, Cheshire, on the afternoon of February 11.

Two teenagers, identified only as girl X from Warrington and boy Y from Leigh, both now aged 16 but 15 at the time, deny murder and each blames the other for the killing.

Both say their backs were turned when the other one suddenly began stabbing Brianna, jurors at Manchester Crown Court have been told.

The defendants had a fascination with violence, torture and murder and had planned the killing for weeks, it is alleged, and both were “in it together from first to last”, Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, told the jury in her closing speech.

On Wednesday, the 18th day of the trial, the jury was sent out to consider its verdicts shortly after 10am.

Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip said: “It’s important that you try to reach verdicts which are unanimous, that means verdicts on which all of you agree.”