Court Rejects Appeal to Reduce Sentence for Brianna Ghey’s Killer

Eddie Ratcliffe, convicted of the brutal murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, argued his sentence failed to account for his age and maturity, but judges upheld the original ruling.

Eddie Ratcliffe, who was 15 at the time of the murder, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years earlier this year for the killing of Brianna Ghey in February 2023.
Ratcliffe and co-defendant Scarlett Jenkinson lured Ghey to a park in Warrington and attacked her with a hunting knife, stabbing her 28 times in a premeditated act described as 'exceptionally brutal.'
Ratcliffe's lawyers argued at the Court of Appeal that his age, immaturity, and diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism were not fully considered in his sentencing.
The Crown Prosecution Service opposed the appeal, maintaining that the original sentence was appropriate given the severity of the crime and Ratcliffe's demonstrated culpability.
A panel of three senior judges dismissed the appeal, concluding that the sentencing judge's decision was not based on any error or false premise.