By Pat Hurst and Eleanor Barlow, PA
UPDATED: A girl accused of murdering teenager Brianna Ghey had previously tried to kill her with an overdose in a McDonald’s milkshake, Manchester Crown Court heard today, Wednesday.
On the third day of the trial the jury heard more messages exchanged between the girl, identified only as X, and co-defendant Y, a boy, both aged 16, accused of Brianna’s murder.
The two are accused of planning and carrying out the murder of their 16-year-old victim, found stabbed 28 times in Linear Park Culcheth, near Warrington, on February 11 this year.
The jury heard about messages between the defendants exchanged on January 23 this year, three weeks before Brianna’s death, when X’s “fascination” with Brianna Ghey “turned darker”.
X tells Y she knows a lot about US serial killer Richard Ramirez, known as The Night Stalker, adding, “I could talk about him for like two hours, including quotes and dates of stuff”.
During the conversation, she adds: “I always fake apologies and play the victim.”
They then exchange messages about X trying to kill Brianna Ghey with an overdose.
X says that “ppl already know she is depressed and shit so nobody would get sus … I gave her some today that should have been enough to kill her … but she didn’t die”.
The two then discuss giving Brianna ibuprofen gel in a McDonald’s milkshake and Y says the pills X gave Brianna “might be slowly killing her”.
Only X is in court on Wednesday. Y is instead listening in remotely via video link from his secure accommodation unit.
Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip told the jury they may notice that Y is playing with a fidget or tangle toy, or have a crossword book with him, which experts have told her helps him concentrate and X has similar devices.
She added: “Whatever helps to manage conditions I’m perfectly happy with. Whatever helps us get through the evidence, that’s helpful.”
Jurors later heard a statement from Brianna’s mother Esther Ghey.
She said: “I recall an incident when Brianna was really sick. She appeared to be in real pain and was screaming and crying for me to help her. She’s never been like that before and never since. This was not long before she was killed.”
Her statement said she believed the date of the incident was sometime in the week commencing January 23.
Her statement continued: “I remember Brianna and her sister was at home.
“Brianna was at school that day. I got home from work at 6pm, I said, ‘Hi’ up to Brianna, who was in her room.
“I heard Brianna scream. My initial thought was she had self-harmed.”
Ms Ghey said she ran upstairs to find her daughter “rolling around in agony, screaming in pain saying, ‘I think I’m going to die’.
“She was clearly in distress. I wondered if it could be an appendicitis.
“Brianna kept saying, ‘Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me!’”
Her mother went to get her phone but heard a “loud splash”, and went back to her Briana’s room.
“Brianna was hanging off the side of the bed and had been sick all over the bedroom floor,” the statement continued.
Ms Ghey said she then cleared up the mess and considered calling an ambulance, but Brianna’s pain began to subside.
“I thought it was some sort of sickness bug. She continued to improve through the evening.”
Ms Ghey said, generally, her daughter would stay in at weekends as she suffered from anxiety and did not go out on her own.
She added: “I know she would sometimes spend time with X after school. Brianna was always home from school before I get home from work, so I don’t know how often they spent time together.”
On the day Brianna died, Ms Ghey said she received a text message from her daughter to say she was on the bus on the way to meet X, saying: “I’m scared.”
Ms Ghey texted back “That’s well good”. She added: “I was really proud of her. I don’t think she ever saw it.”
The court later heard that X told Y they needed to think of a plan of how to kill Brianna, who she complains of “stealing my lines the greedy bitch and she’s prettier”, and suggests they stab her.
X then told Y that Brianna had agreed to meet her in Culcheth on January 28 and they talk of going to Linear Park, with X telling Y to slit Brianna’s throat then pass the knife to her, “I want to stab her at least once even if she’s dead jus coz its fun lol”.
Y then talked about another child, identified only as A, a girl, who he is attracted to but is too nervous to send a text message to.
“What if she sees me as weird?” he asks Y.
The messages then continue with the plan to kill Brianna, with Y saying: “Let’s have two words: one for getting the knife ready and another to stab.”
The court also heard that the night before the murder the teenage girl accused of killing Brianna Ghey watched her “favourite film”, Sweeney Todd, for the “9,000th time” and discussed which knife her co-defendant would use.
In messages sent on the evening of February 10, girl X asked boy Y which knife he would bring when they met Brianna.
He said: “The hunting knife I showed you in person as well as on the phone.”
The girl asked if it would “definitely 100% kill her” and boy Y replied: “Yes.”
She told him: “I’ve just put my favourite film on. I’m watching it for like the 9,000th time.”
In the messages read to the court, girl X said the film was Sweeney Todd and told boy Y he should watch it.
She added: “He kills people with one of the sharpest blades in the world.”
The court heard they planned to meet Brianna on January 28 but “last minute” she was unable to come.
Afterwards, girl X told boy Y in a message that Brianna would be able to meet them on Tuesday, after school.
He replied: “I’ve got revision and I’m not bringing a knife.”
Later that day, girl X messaged boy Y saying: “Let’s kill Brianna tomorrow 6pm.”
The court heard that boy Y told her he was unable to carry out the killing on a “school night”.
Girl X said in a message: “I don’t want to wait, I just want her to die. I want to see pure horror on her face and hear her scream in pain.”
In another message, girl X said: “ I really want one of its eyes. They have pretty eyes.”
In earlier messages, on January 23, girl X told boy Y she knew a lot about US serial killer Richard Ramirez, known as The Night Stalker, adding “I could talk about him for like two hours, including quotes and dates of stuff”.
Both defendants deny murder.
The trial was adjourned until Thursday morning.
Court hears teenagers clearly had a plan to kill Brianna Ghey
