Scarlett Jenkinson, one of the killers of teenager Brianna Ghey, revealed that she was hearing unkind voices in the weeks leading up to the brutal murder. Along with her accomplice Eddie Ratcliffe, Jenkinson was sentenced to life in prison for their heinous crime.
The tragic incident took place on February 11, 2023, when Brianna was stabbed 28 times in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington. Shockingly, Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had exchanged disturbing WhatsApp messages detailing their plans to murder Brianna.
Jenkinson, who was only 15 at the time, had transferred to Brianna’s school after an incident at her previous school where she had spiked a younger student. Despite this troubling history, an independent safeguarding review found that there was no known reason to prevent Jenkinson from interacting with other students at her new school.
Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, expressed that the review concluded that the events leading to Brianna’s murder were unpredictable. She emphasized the importance of working towards a safer and more compassionate society in honor of Brianna’s memory.
The safeguarding review focused on Jenkinson’s interactions with support agencies and her transition between schools. It revealed that Jenkinson had previously sought help for anxiety and self-harming behaviors, but her two previous attempts to harm Brianna were unknown to safeguarding agencies. Additionally, Jenkinson’s disturbing online activities, such as watching videos of torture and killing on the dark web, were not brought to light until after the murder.
While Jenkinson was diagnosed with a conduct dissocial disorder during her sentencing, there was no clinical evidence of this condition before the murder. Recommendations were made to improve how agencies handle the movement of vulnerable children between schools and to enhance online safeguarding measures for children.
The Warrington Safeguarding Partnerships (WSP), which includes various agencies like Cheshire Constabulary, Warrington Borough Council, and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, committed to sharing and implementing the lessons learned from the review to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The importance of early intervention and comprehensive mental health support for at-risk individuals was highlighted as crucial in safeguarding vulnerable children and preventing further harm.
