UK teens get life for ‘sadistic’ killing of trans girl

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Two British teenagers were ordered to be detained for life on Friday for the “sadistic” knife murder of a 16-year-old transgender girl that shocked the country.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 16, killed Brianna Ghey in Warrington, northwest England, in February last year, in what the judge called a planned “frenzied and ferocious” assault.

Ghey was stabbed 28 times in the head, neck, back and chest after believing she was going to meet a friend. Her body was discovered by dog walkers in a park.

Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were just 15 at the time.

“You both took part in a brutal and planned murder which was sadistic in nature,” judge Amanda Yip told the pair as she handed down the sentence at Manchester Crown Court.

Yip said that Jenkinson´s “primary motivation” had been a desire to kill, but the pair had also been motivated in part by Ghey´s transgender identity.

The judge ruled that Jenkinson must serve a minimum of 22 years before being considered for release, while Ratcliffe must serve at least 20 years.

“If you remain a danger you will serve very much longer than the minimum term and may never be released,” she warned.

Yip had earlier taken the rare step of lifting a ban on identifying the juveniles after media outlets challenged the restriction.