Teenager accused of murdering Brianna Ghey asked police as she was arrested ‘is it because I was the last person to see her alive?’, court hears

• Brianna Ghey, 16, was found with 28 stab wounds in Cheshire park in February

By James Tozer[1] and Liz Hull[2] and Andy Russell[3] and Iwan Stone[4]

Published: 19:05, 1 December 2023 | Updated: 19:06, 1 December 2023

A teenager accused of murdering Brianna Ghey asked a police officer as she was arrested: 'Is it because I was the last person to see her alive?'

The teenager, who was 15 at the time and is identified only as girl X, was held the day after transgender[5] Brianna, 16, was found stabbed 28 times in Culcheth Linear Park, near Warrington, on the afternoon of February 11 this year.

X and a boy, identified only as Y, who was also 15 at the time, were traced after being seen with Brianna that day and X's mother phoned the police, Manchester Crown Court was told.

Both X and Y, both now 16, deny murder and are blaming each other, the jurors have been told. Neither can be named because of their age.

In the call to police by X's mother, at about 5pm on the day after Brianna's death, the teenager told police she and Y had been with Brianna in the park, but Briana had then gone off with a Manchester boy, 17, who owned a car.

Brianna Ghey, 16, was found with 28 stab wounds in a park in Cheshire on February 11

X and a boy, identified only as Y, who was also 15 at the time, were traced after being seen with Brianna that day and X's mother phoned the police, Manchester Crown Court was told. Pictured: Brianna's mother Esther Ghey

Two-and-a-half hours later, both defendants were arrested at their homes by Cheshire Police.

Jurors were shown the body-worn camera footage taken when officers, wearing balaclavas and body armour, detained the suspects.

X is seen standing on the landing at the top of the stairs as Pc Chris Rigby tells her: 'Listen to what I have to say. From the information I have received, you are under suspicion of the murder of Brianna Ghey yesterday.'

X is then cautioned and has her arms handcuffed behind her back, with one officer saying: 'Be careful.

She has got really small wrists.'

She is asked for her mobile phone and gives her Pin and nods as she is asked if she understands what is happening and shakes her head when asked if she has ever been arrested before.

X is then told she will be taken in for questioning and because of her age, arrangements are being made for a parent to accompany her.

X asks the officer: 'How come I'm a suspect? Is it because I was the last person to see her alive?'

Pc Rigby tells her he can only give information about the arresting process - not the investigation.

Brianna (pictured), 16, was found with fatal wounds on a path in Culcheth Linear Park, near her home in Warrington

Jurors were then shown footage of the simultaneous arrest of Y.

He is held on the landing outside his bedroom, knelt down as officers handcuff him.

Y tells them: 'I can explain,' as he is told he is being arrested for murder and taken in for questioning.

It comes the day as the court heard a tribute to 16-year-old Brianna Ghey[6] accompanied by the words 'Rest in Peace' and two white doves was posted by one of the teenagers accused of her brutal murder.

Underneath an image of the schoolgirl eating a chocolate bar, she wrote: 'Brianna was one of the best people I have ever met, such an amazing friend.

'It is f***ing sickening what got done to her.'

The prosecution claim Girl X and Boy Y had lured Brianna to a park before stabbing her to death the day before.

Both were obsessed with torture and had plotted to kill five people, jurors have been told, drawing up a handwritten plan to murder Brianna three weeks before her death on February 11.

A teenager accused of murdering Brianna Ghey posted an online to tribute (pictured) to her the day after she died

Girl X, who is now 16, took a screen shot of the photo of Brianna from a local newspaper story the day after she was found dead in a park in Culcheth, Cheshire with 28 stab wounds, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The Snapchat image, to which she had added her own caption, was found on her mobile phone after her arrest at her home in Warrington at 7.34pm on February 12.

The jury yesterday heard a phone call made to Cheshire Police by Girl X's mother at 5pm that day to tell them her daughter had been with Brianna in Culcheth Linear Park with Boy Y the previous afternoon.

On the call, Girl X is heard claiming to the call handler that Brianna had left her and Boy Y to meet a 17-year-old boy.

'We went into Linear,' she said. 'We sat on the bench for a bit.

'She looked at her phone and said she needed to go and meet some boy.

'She said something about meeting a boy. He was 17 and from Manchester.

'I didn't know his name or anything.

'She said he was picking her up and stormed off.

She said 'Stop interrogating me' and just walked away.'

Girl X said Brianna had not 'mentioned' the boy before, and she thought he was 'someone from online'.

Bus CCTV showed Brianna purchasing a ticket from the driver as she made her way to meet with Girl X and Boy Y

The footage was taken just a couple of hours before the teenager's death

She and Boy Y then stayed in the park 'for a little bit' before returning to their homes, she said.

Less than an hour after the call, Girl X messaged Boy Y to urge him to corroborate her account.

She told him: 'Not sure what's gonna happen. Make sure story adds up.

'Say to police everything we met Brianna at half 1 walked to linear and sat and chilled on the bench.

'Then Brianna looked at her phone and said she was gonna meet some lad and walked off.'

Click here to listen to the Mail's new podcast The Trial[7]

The Trial...takes listeners behind the headlines and into the courtrooms of some of the biggest trials in the world.

The first series 'The Trial of Lucy Letby' was a global hit, with more than 13 million downloads, while season two focused on the murder of Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old teacher from Ireland.

Its third season follows the tragic case of Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old transgender girl killed in Warrington, England.

Follow the evidence as the jury hears it, in twice-weekly reports from The Daily Mail's Northern Correspondent Liz Hull and broadcast journalist Caroline Cheetham.

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The jury were shown police body-worn camera of Girl X's arrest by officers wearing balaclavas and body armour in which she asks: 'How come I am a suspect, is it because I was the last person to see her alive?'

The court was also shown body-worn footage of Boy Y's arrest when he told officers: 'I can explain.'

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC told the court of messages between Girl X and her boyfriend, referred to as Boy O, in which she said she 'felt sick' over reports that Brianna had been killed.

'I'm gonna bring it up to school tomorrow,' she told him.

'About Brianna going off to meet a 20-year-old male and s***. It might be something to do with that.'

The court heard that there was an exchange of messages hours after Brianna was killed in which Girl X sought to reassure Boy Y that he would not get caught.

'I have not been caught yet and I'm a lot less smart than you,' she added.

After news of the killing first broke on February 11, Girl X wrote: 'It's spread so quick on the news.

'When do you think they'll find out name and release it? '

Boy Y replied: 'I'm not sure if they could if there was no witnesses.

How could they find out?'

Girl X wrote back: 'Do you know what my favourite quote is? If you wish for peace, prepare for war.'

She adds: 'Do you have anxiety about getting caught?'

'Probably,' Boy Y replies.

Girl X writes: 'You're not going to get caught don't worry, police are s**** here.'

Both Girl X and Boy Y deny murder.

They accept that they were in the park with Brianna but blame each other for wielding the hunting knife which inflicted 28 separate stab wounds on Brianna.

The trial continues.

The image was found on X's phone after her arrest at her home in Birchwood, Warrington at 7.34 pm on Sunday, February 12 - the day after Brianna's death at around 3pm on Sunday, February 11.

The jury yesterday heard a phone call to Cheshire police by Girl X's mother at 5pm on the Sunday to tell them that X had been with Brianna in the park with Y on the Saturday afternoon.

On the call, Girl X is heard claiming to the call handler that Brianna had left her and Boy Y to meet a 17-year-old boy.

Girl X's mother told the police: 'My daughter was actually with Brianna just before it happened. My daughter and her friend ( Boy Y ).

They met at the library at about half one, when Brianna got off the bus.'

Brianna sat near the front of the bus and texted her mother to say she was 'scared'

Girl X was heard to say: 'We went into Linear. We sat on the bench for a bit. She looked at her phone and said she needed to go and meet some boy.

She said something about meeting a boy. He was 17 and from Manchester. I didn't know his name or anything.'

'She said he was picking her up and stormed off.

She said stop interrogating me and just walked away. She's not mention him before. I think it's someone from online.

'We stayed in Linear for a little bit and then went to Culcheth.

I went home and he went back.'

Less than an hour after the call to the police, X messaged Y to urge him to corroborate her version of events.

She told him: 'I haven't gone station but my mum phoned police. Not sure what's gonna happen. Make sure story adds up.

Say to police everything we met Brianna at half 1 walked to linear and sat and chilled on the bench.

'Then Brianna looked at her phone and said she was gonna meet some lad and walked off. We went Sainsburys, sat and chilled at the stone area then you got bus home and I went home.'

The jury were shown police body worn camera footage of Girl X's arrest, from when she was placed in handcuffs, where she told the officer: 'How come I am a suspect, is it because I was the last person to see her alive ?'

The court was also shown body worn footage of Boy Y's arrest when he told officers: 'I can explain.'

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC told the court of messages between Girl X and her boyfriend, referred to as O, in which she said she 'felt sick' when it was reported that Brianna had been killed.

Brianna was stabbed 28 times in February, resulting in wounds that penetrated her heart and jugular vein

She told the boyfriend: 'I'm gonna bring it up to school tomorrow. About Brianna going off to meet a 20-year-old male and s***.

It might be something to do with that.'

The court heard that there was an exchange of messages between X and Y in the evening of the murder in which X sought to reassure Y that he would not get caught.

She said:' I have not been caught yet and I'm a lot less smart than you.'

The court heard there were messages between them on Saturday evening as the news broke about Brianna's death.

X said: 'It's spread so quick on the news. When do you think they'll find out name and release it? '

Y replies: 'I'm not sure if they could if there was no witnesses. How could they find out?'

Girl X replies: 'Do you know what my favourite quote is?

If you wish for peace, prepare for war.'

She then tells him one of her other favourite quotes was from David Bowie which says: 'I find only freedom in the realms of eccentricity. Make the best of every moment. I don't know where we're going from here but it won't be boring.'

Both X and Y deny murder.

They accept that they were in the park with Brianna but blame each other for wielding the hunting knife which inflicted 28 separate stab wounds on Brianna.

The trial continues.

References

1. ^ James Tozer (www.dailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ Liz Hull (www.dailymail.co.uk)
3. ^ Andy Russell (www.dailymail.co.uk)
4. ^ Iwan Stone (www.dailymail.co.uk)
5. ^ transgender (www.dailymail.co.uk)
6. ^ Brianna Ghey (www.dailymail.co.uk)
7. ^ Click here to listen to the Mail's new podcast The Trial (open.spotify.com)