‘I wish I had been there to protect her’ says Brianna Ghey’s dad

Brianna Ghey's dad said he wished he was "there to protect her" when her killers stabbed her 28 times. The 16-year-old died after being stabbed in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington[1] on Saturday, February 11, this year. Two teens, who are also aged 16 and cannot be named for legal reasons, were found guilty of her murder following a trial at Manchester Crown Court[2].

Girl X, from Warrington, and Boy Y, from Leigh, were unanimously convicted by a jury of seven men and five women after four hours and 40 minutes of deliberations.

Following the conviction Brianna's dad, Peter Spooner, spoke outside Manchester Crown Court about his "beautiful" daughter who he was "proud" of. He said: "It is impossible to put into words how the murder of my child has affected me.

I never stopped loving her and never will. "From when she was little, I remember all the faces she would pull to make me laugh, her cheeky giggle and funny dances are engraved in my memory. I knew she was going to be a star and the amount of support she has received and followers on TikTok have proved this.

"She would share her TikTok videos with me all the time and I was so proud of what she could do. Showing me how she would do her makeup, she had such an amazing talent and I enjoyed sharing that with friends and family. "I look into her eyes, and they shine back at me, and I know she was a beautiful girl to be proud of.

I hate how her life has been brutally taken away from her and she has been deprived of the life she wanted to live."

Mr Spooner also spoke of how he wished he'd been at Linear Park to "protect" his daughter from her killers. He said: "It's difficult to comprehend how some people can do these vile things in the world and don't understand how cruel and heartbreaking their actions can be. The impact of Brianna's death has not just affected me as her father but also my whole family.

"My heart bleeds every day for Brianna, and this will never go away and the amount of guilt I have can sometimes be unbearable. But I will ensure her memory lives on in my thoughts and dreams. "The support I have received from my fiancee Lorraine, family and friends has been second to none and without you I wouldn't have got through it.

Also, the amount of work and effort the police have put into getting Brianna the justice she deserves has not gone unnoticed. "Mr. Parr and all the family liaison officers have been extremely supportive through this whole process and understood the emotional journey that has been experienced.

I also want to express my gratitude to PC Andrew Chadwick and the paramedics who I know tried all they could to try and save my daughter. "We spoke a few days before she was taken from me, and we were arranging to meet each other. It breaks me every day to know I will never get that chance again.

"I wish I had been there to protect her but that's something I must live with. The suffering from this horrific incident should never happen and I hope no other family ever experiences the torture this can bring." Mrs Justice Yip, the judge who has presided over the trial over the past four weeks, will pass sentence in the New Year.

She told Girl X and Boy Y: "Given you've been found guilty, I will have to sentence you. "I'm sure you already know I will have to impose a life sentence. What I have to decide is the minimum amount of time you will be required to serve before you might be considered for release.

"I'm not going to do that this week. I will have to find a date that is suitable for that purpose." Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here[5]

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References

1. ^ Warrington (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
2. ^ Manchester Crown Court (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
3. ^ Sir Kenny Dalglish breaks down in tears with emotional BBC speech as Katarina Johnson-Thompson finishes third in SPOTY (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
4. ^ Road closed as Uber and Audi crash causes 'scattered debris' (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
5. ^ Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
6. ^ Win GBP1000 worth of energy-efficient Hotpoint appliances to power up your winter savings (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)