No review of Brianna Ghey killers' sentences

The killers of teenager Brianna Ghey will not have their sentences reviewed, the Attorney General has said.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were sentenced to 22 years and 20 years respectively for the killing the 16-year-old in a park in Culceth Linear Park in Warrington, Cheshire on 11 February 2023.

Both were 15 when they stabbed Brianna 28 times in a "ferocious" attack.

Attorney General Victoria Prentis said the review threshold was "not met".

The sentences were referred to the Attorney General under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme.

A spokesman for Ms Prentis said: “The senseless murder of Brianna Ghey was truly shocking.

"This was a harrowing case and we wish to express our deepest sympathies and condolences with her family and friends.

“After careful consideration, the Attorney General and Solicitor General have concluded that they could not properly refer this sentence to the Court of Appeal.

"A referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme to the Court of Appeal can only be made if a sentence is not just lenient but unduly so, such that the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.

"The threshold is a high one, and the test was not met for these sentences.”

The trial heard Jenkinson had been motivated by a "deep desire to kill".

The judge said Jenkinson had been the driving force behind the murder, but added that it would be "wholly wrong" to suggest Ratcliffe had been under her control.

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