Watch: “Hug your children tight”, Esther Ghey told mourners, in an emotional speech at a vigil for her daughter
The mother of Brianna Ghey has described the murdered teenager as “unique and joyful”, as a vigil was held to mark a year since she died.
Sixteen-year-old Brianna, who was transgender, was stabbed 28 times by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in a Cheshire park in February 2023.
The pair, aged 15 at the time, were recently sentenced to 22 and 20 years respectively.
Esther Ghey said Brianna “taught me so much and gave me so much happiness”.
Image source, PA Media
Brianna Ghey died on 11 February 2023
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds at the Warrington vigil, she said: “I will be forever thankful I was lucky enough to spend 16 years with her.
“If there’s one piece of advice that I can give to any parent, it would be to hug your children tight and never stop telling them that you love them.
“I hope that, wherever she is now, she can feel the love that we’ve created by joining together today.”
Image source, PA Media
Hundreds of people attended the vigil in Warrington
During the sentencing on 2 February, the judge said Jenkinson was motivated by a “deep desire to kill”, while Ratcliffe’s motivation was partly due to his hostility to Brianna’s transgender identity.
Jenkinson had also watched videos of violence and torture on the dark web before the murder.
Image source, PA Media
Esther Ghey has called for legal and educational reforms
Following the sentencing, Ms Ghey said she was willing to speak to Scarlett Jenkinson’s mother, who said in a family statement that they were “truly sorry”.
Ms Ghey has called for a law so there are mobile phones without social media apps for under-16s. She also wants software to flag up potentially harmful searches by children to their parents.
Image source, Family handout
Brianna Ghey’s mother Esther spoke at the vigil
In Parliament this week, she backed calls for mindfulness to be taught on the national curriculum as she focuses on “a lasting legacy for Brianna“.
She later said she did not want to comment on a political row which erupted after the prime minister joked about Sir Keir Starmer’s “definition of a woman”. Ms Ghey had not been present during the exchange during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Rishi Sunak has since faced calls to apologise, including by Brianna’s father, who called his comment “degrading”.
Mr Sunak later said his words had been “absolutely legitimate” and that he had “nothing but the most heartfelt sympathy for [Brianna Ghey’s] entire family and friends”.
How Brianna Ghey’s teenage killers tried to get away with murder.
File on 4 also tells the story behind the brutal killing of the 16-year-old on BBC Sounds.
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