Justice Amanda Yip lifted the reporting restrictions on naming the killers of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey. They were identified at Manchester Crown Court as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.

The horrific murder shocked the nation. Ghey was stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in broad daylight after being lured to a park in the town of Warrington on Feb. 11, 2023.

Yip handed Ratcliffe and Jenkinson a mandatory life sentence, and ordered them to serve a minimum term of 20 and 22 years, respectively, before they could be eligible for parole. If they had been adults — over the age of 18 — they would have faced much longer minimum terms. They will be transferred to adult prisons when they turn 18. Neither showed no visible reaction on being sentenced.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    938 months ago

    Fuck them

    Good to see that they got a life sentence and not the usual “they’re minors so they’ll do some years in a community” bullshit that happens in my country

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        498 months ago

        They’re minors. In the UK and most of the developed world, you cannot give life without parole to a minor.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          108 months ago

          Idk I think people who murder a girl in cold blood shouldn’t ever be allowed to participate in society, but that’s just me.

          • WhatTrees
            link
            fedilink
            English
            88 months ago

            They only get out on parole if the board (or whatever the UK’s equivalent is) believes they have learned a lesson and are safe to reenter society. If not then they stay until the next board meeting. I have a hard time imagining they would get out after 20 years for murder without the board being pretty damn sure they are no longer a danger to society.

            As gross and heinous as these crimes are, I will never favor life-without-parole or the death penalty for minors.

          • Lols [they/them]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            48 months ago

            if rehabilitation is possible, there is no real benefit to society to just keep folks in prison indefinitely, and in fact refusing to accept change for the better disincentivises folks from doing so

        • @acceptable_pumpkin
          link
          English
          -118 months ago

          And that’s unfortunate. This planet is already too crowded. Why spend resources on scum like this? Lock them away forever.

          • Jojo
            link
            fedilink
            English
            48 months ago

            Worth noting that it costs a lot of state resources to lock them away forever.

            • @Rooter
              link
              English
              -1
              edit-2
              7 months ago

              deleted by creator

              • Jojo
                link
                fedilink
                English
                88 months ago

                And the previous commenter suggested locking them away forever instead of wasting resources on them.

      • @HonoraryMancunian
        link
        English
        328 months ago

        20 years is a looooong time when you’re 16. They’ve lost their entire young adulthood and then some

        • @afraid_of_zombies
          link
          English
          48 months ago

          They will be fine. Terf Island will consider them political prisoners.

      • ThenThreeMore
        link
        fedilink
        English
        268 months ago

        They’ll be on licence for the rest of their lives following that though. The minimum term on a life sentence is just the custodial part.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          58 months ago

          on licence. right, what’s that, then? will they have any other sort of restrictions once they get out at minimum 36?

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            338 months ago

            The 20 years is the minimum time they’ll do in prison.

            After the 20 years they’ll be eligible for parole. If, and only if, the board decides that it’s safe for them to be released will they do so.

            If they are released they will be in license. This means they are subject to prison recall without trial should they pose any risk to the public. The license may also impose additional restrictions such as regular therapy appointments, restrictions on leaving the country etc. These conditions will be imposed for life. Breaking any of these restrictions would also result in a recall to prison.

            If the parole board decides that it’s not safe to release them, then they’ll remain in prison. They may very well remain in prison for their entire life.

      • @EnderMB
        link
        English
        68 months ago

        That’s standard in the UK. Our justice system views rehabilitation as the ultimate goal, not punishment. They will serve this as a minimum, but will likely never see life outside of a cell based on their reaction to being sentenced.

        Even after parole, their life will forever be scrutinised by law enforcement and medical examiners to determine their mental state. Anything that doesn’t scream “normal member of society” puts them back in jail.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          38 months ago

          Yeah I agree with rehabilitation for 99% of crimes and laud the European models as generally better than the American one.