On 11 February 2023, Brianna Ghey (/dʒaɪ/ JY), a 16-year-old British transgender girl, was murdered in a premeditated attack by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe.

[5][6] As a teenager, Ghey was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, which her mother said impaired her ability to identify dangerous situations, as well as anxiety.

[19] In an interview with child psychiatrist Richard Church, Jenkinson stated she felt she was about to lose Ghey as a friend, and that she wanted to "kill her so she would always be with her".

[21] Eddie Ratcliffe, a pupil at Culcheth High School at the time of the murder, was described by a fellow student as a role model who achieved top grades.

[26] Following Jenkinson's directions, Ghey walked 25 minutes to the Birchwood railway station and boarded a bus at 1:38 pm, after which she texted her mother.

[40][41][42][43] Detective Chief Superintendent Mike Evans described the killing as a targeted attack, though initially reported that "there is no evidence to suggest that the circumstances surrounding Brianna's death are hate related".

[52] Due to the nature of the case, and the ages of those involved, reporting restrictions were put in place preventing the naming of both of the defendants, as well as any other children mentioned during the trial.

[52][53] The case was heard by Amanda Yip, who briefed 14 potential jurors on Ghey's transgender identity, reporting restrictions concerning the defendants, and other facts of the murder ahead of the trial.

[54][55] While in custody, Jenkinson was found to have traits of autism and ADHD; Ratcliffe was diagnosed after arrest as autistic and as having selective mutism, resulting in an inability to speak to anyone except his mother.

[57] The jury were also told that their "various degrees of neurodivergence" could affect the ways both Jenkinson and Ratcliffe might react or speak in the proceedings.

Jenkinson poisoned her believing that the murder would be mistaken for a suicidal overdose due to Ghey's mental health struggles.

Prior to these attempts, text messages recorded Jenkinson as admitting to being obsessed with Ghey, calling her "really different" and "really pretty".

[68][69] On 21 December 2023, Yip ruled that anonymity orders that protected the identities of the convicted murderers would be lifted and they would be named during the sentencing hearing.

[70] On 2 February 2024, the sentencing hearing was held at Manchester Crown Court, before which the two teenagers were named; the judge determined that there was "a strong public interest in the full and unrestricted reporting of what is plainly an exceptional case".

[78] In handing down the sentences, Yip described the murder as "sadistic in nature" and, referring to Ratcliffe, "where a secondary motive was hostility towards Ghey because of her transgender identity".

The silence was preceded by a feature introduced by transgender presenter Stephanie Hirst in which she reflected on the discrimination and violence often experienced by trans people, as well as paying tribute to Ghey.

"[112] Another Labour Party MP Nadia Whittome said: "Brianna deserved a chance to become a beautiful adult woman, and to live to see a world where trans people are safe and respected.

"[113] Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn responded by saying "she was killed because she wanted to be herself", and adding "My thoughts are with Brianna's family and the trans community fighting for safety, dignity and liberation".

[114] The Miami Herald reported that thousands in the LGBTQ community and users of social media were grieving over the stabbing death of Ghey.

[116][117] Transgender community helplines reported large increases in calls soon after Ghey's death, with topics concerning "transphobia, gender identity and hate crimes".

[112] Twitter campaigns called for the UK government to issue a Gender Recognition Certificate to Ghey "so that she can have the dignity in death that everyone else in this world takes for granted".

The petition was rejected by the British government, who stated in response that the current policy "strikes the right balance" and that they had no plans to change it.

[123] The Times faced strong criticism after amending their original story by removing the word "girl" and including Ghey's deadname.

[126] Senthorun Raj, a professor of human rights law, said "We all have a responsibility to challenge the insidious ways the media and politicians dehumanise trans people.

[123] Labour MP for Warrington North Charlotte Nichols said that she would be lodging a complaint with The Times and the Independent Press Standards Organisation and that "there is absolutely no need whatsoever for anyone to publish her deadname when identifying her as trans in media coverage".

[128][133][134] Esther Ghey, who was not in the public gallery to hear Sunak's remark, later declined requests for comment adding that she was concentrating on "creating a lasting legacy" for her daughter.

[128][137] Starmer's response was criticised by minister for women and equalities, Kemi Badenoch, who said it showed Labour were "happy to weaponise" Ghey's murder.

[139][140] In September 2023 Esther Ghey launched a local campaign in Warrington, to deliver mindfulness training in schools in the area, raising £80,000 as part of "a lasting legacy" to her daughter.

[141][142] In 2024 she also backed a nationwide campaign, alongside Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols, calling on government to fund mindfulness programmes in every school in England.

[151][152] The inquest also looked at Jenkinson's transfer to Birchwood, concluding that it had been conducted appropriately, and that the outcome would not have changed had the matter been approached differently.