Trans teenager Brianna’s injuries not survivable, pathologist tells court

And the knife used was “consistent” with the 12cm hunting knife found, with her blood still on it, in the bedroom of boy Y (who is from Leigh), one of the two teenagers accused of her murder, Manchester Crown Court was told.

Boy Y and girl X (from Warrington), who cannot be named because of their ages, are both accused of the murder of Brianna, 16, who was found fatally injured in Culcheth Linear Park, near Warrington, on the afternoon of February 11.

Both defendants, aged 15 at the time, now both 16, deny murder and are blaming each other for Brianna’s death.

The trial, now in its second week, has been told X and Y had a fixation with torture, violence and death, and drew up a “kill list” of child victims.

An alleged “murder plan” to kill Brianna was found in the bedroom of X, who had an interest in serial killers and described herself as a “Satanist” the trial has heard.

On Tuesday Home office consultant pathologist Dr Alison Armour told the jury of the results of the post-mortem examination she carried out on Brianna’s body at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital the day after her death.

It took about two hours to detail the injuries using computer generated images, detailing the location of the injuries on Brianna’s body.

Dr Armour said of the 28 stab wounds that 14 were to the head and neck and 14 to the chest, back and sides.

She concluded the injuries were consistent with a “sustained and violent assault” with a bladed weapon.

Defence injuries to her right arm and right thumb included one wound entering the bicep and exiting the outside of the arm below the shoulder.

Five “significant” injuries were also detailed, which resulted in wounds and damage to the left and right lung, which were both punctured, the aorta and oesophagus.

One wound had also entered the front of the heart and exited the back.

Another significant injury was to the left side of her head, cutting the ear lobe and going in behind the angle of the jaw, causing damage to spinal vertebrae in the neck and damaging the throat.

To the right-hand side of the neck there was a series of six stab wounds, one which completely severed the jugular vein and carotid artery.

This injury alone would have been sufficient to cause death, Dr Armour said, from a “catastrophic haemorrhage”.

Dr Armour also found damage from the weapon to Brianna’s ribs, vertebrae and breast bone, implying the stab wounds were inflicted with “considerable” force.

Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, asked the pathologist about images she had seen of the hunting knife found in Y’s bedroom, which has a single sharp edge blade, 12cm in length.

Ms Heer said, “Is that a candidate for causing some or all of these wounds?”

“Yes, it is,” Dr Armour replied.

Dr Armour said she could not exclude the possibility another knife, of similar size, could have been used to inflict the wounds – but there was no positive evidence suggesting the use of a second knife.

And Dr Armour said from the pathology evidence it is not possible to say in which order the wounds were inflicted or whether Brianna was standing or sitting down when she was stabbed.

The trial was adjourned until Wednesday .