Brianna Ghey killer should have sentence reduced due to 'immaturity', court told

One of the two teenagers convicted of the murder of Brianna Ghey should have the length of his sentence reduced as a judge failed to take into account his “maturity”, the Court of Appeal has heard.

Eddie Ratcliffe was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years in February this year for the murder, along with co-defendant Scarlett Jenkinson, who received a minimum term of 22 years.

Brianna, 16, was stabbed 28 times with a hunting knife during the fatal attack in Linear Park, Culcheth, near Warrington, in February last year, which the sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Yip, described as “exceptionally brutal”.

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Ratcliffe, who was 15 at the time of the killing and is now 17, was also found to have been transphobic about his victim.

At a hearing today (Thursday), lawyers for Ratcliffe, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism, said that the judge failed to “sufficiently” take into account his age and maturity when deciding his sentence. The Crown Prosecution Service is opposing the appeal bid.

Speaking at the court in London, Richard Littler KC, for Ratcliffe, said: “It is culpability and maturity which are at the heart of this application.”

Mr Littler continued: “It is right to say that on any analysis of the applicant’s maturity, he is closer to the starting point of a 14-year-old rather than a 17-year-old boy.”

He added: “The point we make is age and maturity were very important issues in this case, and could very much affect the end result for this particular applicant.”

Mr Littler said that Ratcliffe was found to have “poor social skills” and “immaturity”, as well as “a