I sat through the Brianna Ghey trial – this is what I learned as a trans person

I decided to attend the trial to ensure that at least one trans person was reporting on the case (Picture: PA)

As a member of the press, I had been sent a copy of the prosecution’s opening speech in the murder trial of Brianna Ghey just before it was read in court on 27 November.

As I opened the document, and began to read, I knew I could not stay in the room. I went to sit in a stall in the court toilets, where I could cry, away from the other journalists, and the rest of the courtroom. 

The messages between the defendants – who have since been named as Eddie Ratcliffe and Scarlett Jenkinson – were horrifying. But the message I will never forget was not sent by Brianna’s killers, but by Brianna herself.

She was on the bus, on the way to Linear Park in Culcheth, a place she did not know. Brianna was going to meet the defendants on the day that they would murder her. While on the bus, Brianna messaged her mum to say: ‘I’m on the bus by myself, I’m scared’.

Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, replied that it was good. Esther Ghey – in a statement read out to the court during the trial – said how proud she was of her nervous daughter for going out, as she would usually not leave the house due to anxiety.

I felt sure that this message of reassurance would haunt Brianna’s mother for the rest of her life.

We must be concerned about the normalisation of transphobia (Picture: Family handout/Cheshire Police/PA Wire)

I had decided to attend the trial to ensure that at least one trans person was reporting on the case.

Over 18 days, the court heard how Brianna was ‘lured’ to Linear Park by her killers through deception. They had planned her murder over messages, in advance.

On Saturday 11 February 2023, Brianna was stabbed 28 times, in a ‘sustained and violent’ assault. The pathologist told the court that several of Brianna’s injuries would have required ‘considerable’ force to inflict.

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After this, her killers fled the park, attempted to dispose of Brianna’s phone, and continued to lie to police about what had happened that day.

Both defendants claimed that the other had inflicted all of Brianna’s injuries and that they were innocent of her murder. But on Wednesday 20 December, the jury retired and after less than five hours of deliberation, returned a guilty verdict for both defendants. They’re due for sentencing on 2 February, when they will also be named.

Throughout it all, I attempted to report on the trial accurately and sensitively. For example, I decided not to report Brianna’s previous name – which was mentioned in court – but which I felt did not need to be widely reported by the press.

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The transphobia felt unbearable at times. Like when planning Brianna’s murder, the defendants exchanged messages including transphobic slurs and other transphobic material, such as references to her genitalia, questioning whether she would scream ‘like a man or a girl’ when killed, and Ratcliffe continually referred to her as an ‘it’.

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There has been much discussion as to whether transphobia was a ‘motive’ in the killing of Brianna. The reality is, we never know the motive for many crimes, as highlighted by the prosecution in their closing speech. However, it seems clear to me that transphobia contributed to Brianna’s death.

She was vulnerable, and this made her easier to kill.

Brianna – as her parents describe – was ‘funny, witty and fearless’ (Picture: Family handout/Warrington Police/PA Wire)

Moreover, the transphobic language in the messages between the defendants no doubt helped dehumanise Brianna in their eyes. We know such dehumanisation can make killing easier.

I have been asked repeatedly if I found the transphobic messages shocking. I confess, I did not.

This is because I see this sort of language all the time. I see it in my social media replies, in hate messages sent to my email inbox. Trans people are used to being talked about in these terms.

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Ratcliffe told the court that he had learned to talk about trans people this way from his schoolmates. This language has become normalised, apparently even among children.

We must be concerned about the normalisation of transphobia, and how it makes trans children more vulnerable. According to a Stonewall report in 2017, 64% of trans pupils were bullied for being trans. On top of that, one in 10 trans pupils had been subjected to death threats. 

The guilty verdict in this case does not address the normalisation of transphobia, nor will it keep trans children safe. We must reflect on how Brianna was made so vulnerable. 

Brianna – as her parents describe – was ‘funny, witty and fearless’, popular on TikTok, and loved by her community. Her death has had an immense impact, as we saw from the many vigils in her memory.

Reporting on this trial is one of the most difficult things I have ever done, and I know it also impacted much of the LGBTQ+ community. I hope this guilty verdict lets her family start to find peace.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing James.Besanvalle@metro.co.uk. 

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