Brianna Ghey: Accused tells court of 'dark fantasies' about torture

A girl accused of the "frenzied" murder of teenager Brianna Ghey has told a court she enjoyed "dark fantasies" about killing and torturing people.

The defendant, identified as girl X, said she also fantasised about killing Brianna, 16, but had "no intention" of bringing it to reality, a jury heard.

Brianna, who was transgender, was stabbed to death in a park near Warrington, Cheshire, on 11 February.

Girl X and a teenager identified as boy Y are on trial accused of her murder.

Manchester Crown Court has heard the pair, both now 16 but aged 15 at the time of Brianna's death, both blame each other for the killing. They cannot be identified due to their age.

Warning: Some readers might find the following report distressing

On day 10 of their trial, girl X gave evidence from the witness box, screened from the view of the public gallery and accompanied by an intermediary.

She told the jury she began to fantasise about killing people at the age of 14, when she began to take an interest in "dark materials" such as videos of murder, torture, and serial killers.

Girl X said she had used an app to search for the materials on the dark web.

The jury heard she was interested in the idea of murder and the "different personalities of serial killers and different ways they would carry things out", but said they did not make her want to torture or kill others.

She said her co-accused had "similar interests", and she would share the "dark fantasies" with him as he "seemed to like that sort of stuff".

Girl X denied being "obsessed" with Brianna but said she found her "different" and "interesting".

In Snapchat messages between her and Boy Y, he had referred to Brianna as an "it" because he "doesn't agree with people who were trans or gay", she told the court, but she denied holding anti-transgender views herself.

Girl X denied trying to give Brianna an overdose to kill her a few weeks before she was stabbed, after telling boy Y she had given Brianna Ibuprofen pills but that she had a high tolerance and had not died, the jury head.

"I was making a fantasy about killing Brianna even though I had no intention," she said.

When asked about the five other children named on her and boy Y's alleged "kill list", girl X said these were all fantasies that she had not intention of acting on.

She told boy Y she wanted to keep the body parts of the purported victims as part of the fantasy, as it was something serial killers had done, the jury heard.

Girl X said at times she would self-harm as a "coping" mechanism and at times, felt suicidal and was taking medication.

The court has heard she has "traits" of autism and ADHD.

Earlier in the trial, jurors were shown a crumpled, hand-written note of an alleged "murder plan" to kill Brianna found on the bedroom floor of Girl X after her arrest.

Notes were also made on serial killers including Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez and Harold Shipman in a black Pukka notebook.

Jurors have also heard girl X and boy Y had a fixation with torture, violence and death, with girl X describing herself as a "satanist".

The trial was adjourned until Monday.

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