Yahoo News ‘I don't think she ever saw it’: Brianna Ghey’s mum recalls final message before teen's ‘murder’
Brihanna Ghey, 16, was found stabbed to death at Culcheth Linear Park, near Warrington, Cheshire, on 11 February this year.
The mother of a teenage girl who was stabbed to death has revealed that she sent her daughter a final text message shortly before she was killed.
Brianna Ghey, 16, was found stabbed to death at Culcheth Linear Park, near Warrington, Cheshire, on 11 February this year.
Two 16-year-olds, who can only be identified as girl X and boy Y, are charged with the murder of the transgender teenager. Both defendants deny murder.
Here Yahoo News UK breaks down the key developments from court on Wednesday:
Mum's final message
On the day Brianna died, her mother, Esther Ghey, said she received a text message from her daughter – who suffered anxiety – to say she was on the bus on the way to meet X, saying: “I’m scared.”
The court also heard girl X watched her “favourite film”, Sweeney Todd and discussed which knife her co-defendant would use, the night before the murder.
The teenage girl was also accused of previously trying to kill Brianna with an overdose.
Brianna's mother Ms Ghey said her daughter texted her to say she was on the bus on the way to meet X, saying: “I’m scared.”
Ms Ghey texted back: “That’s well good.”
She said she was proud of her daughter because, generally, Brianna would stay in at weekends as she suffered from anxiety and did not go out on her own.
In a statement, Ms Ghey said: “I was really proud of her. I don’t think she ever saw it.
Accused teenager 'tried to give overdose'
The court heard on 23 January, in a message discussing killing Brianna with an overdose, girl X texted her co-defendant: “ppl already know she is depressed and s*** so nobody would get sus … I gave her some today that should have been enough to kill her … but she didn’t die”.
The co-defendants then discussed spiking Brianna's McDonald’s milkshake with ibuprofen gel, with boy X adding that the pills given to her by girl X “might be slowly killing her”, the court heard.
Ms Ghey recalled how Brianna “appeared to be in real pain and was screaming and crying for me to help her” during a period of sickness.
Her statement said she believed the date of the incident was sometime in the week commencing 23 January.
Ms Ghey said she ran upstairs to find her daughter “rolling around in agony, screaming in pain saying, ‘I think I’m going to die’.
“She was clearly in distress. I wondered if it could be an appendicitis," Ms Ghey added. “Brianna kept saying, ‘Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!’”
Her mother went to get her phone but heard a “loud splash”, and went back to her Brianna’s room. “Brianna was hanging off the side of the bed and had been sick all over the bedroom floor,” the statement continued.
Ms Ghey said she then cleared up the mess and considered calling an ambulance, but Brianna’s pain began to subside.
Girl accused of Brianna Ghey murder 'tried to kill her with overdose weeks before fatal stabbing' (Sky News)
Accused girl ‘watched Sweeney Todd night before murder’
In messages sent on the evening of 10 February, girl X asked boy Y which knife he would bring when they met Brianna, the court heard.
He said: “The hunting knife I showed you in person as well as on the phone.” The girl asked if it would “definitely 100% kill her” and boy Y replied: “Yes.”
She told him: “I’ve just put my favourite film on. I’m watching it for like the 9,000th time.”
In the messages read to the court, girl X said the film was Sweeney Todd and told boy Y he should watch it. She added: “He kills people with one of the sharpest blades in the world.”
The court heard they planned to meet Brianna on 28 January but “last minute” she was unable to come.
Afterwards, girl X told boy Y in a message that Brianna would be able to meet them on Tuesday, after school. He replied: “I’ve got revision and I’m not bringing a knife.”
Later that day, girl X messaged boy Y saying: “Let’s kill Brianna tomorrow 6pm.”
The court heard that boy Y told her he was unable to carry out the killing on a “school night”.
The trial continues.
