Murder trial of Brianna Ghey begins - involving defendant from Leigh

Starting at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court on Monday, November 27, two youths stand accused of the murder of Brianna, including a 16-year-old boy from Leigh and a 16-year-old girl from Warrington.

Both were arrested at around 7.30pm on Sunday, February 12, and charged in the early hours of Wednesday, February 15.

Both have since pleaded not guilty to the charge of the murder of Brianna Ghey, with a trial date set for today.

The trial begins at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)
A boy and a girl, both aged 16, each face a charge of murdering the Birchwood schoolgirl in Culcheth Linear Park in February.

At 3.13pm on Saturday, February 11, Cheshire Police officers were called to Culcheth Linear Park.

Here, police found a girl with serious injuries, who was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

A huge emergency service operation was launched, with police immediately cordoning the nearby area off.

Brianna's family described her as fearless and one of a kind (Image: Supplied)
Police confirmed the death on Saturday at 7pm, and by 11pm, they confirmed that a teenage girl had died.

An investigation was subsequently launched, with forensics teams and police dogs utilised at the scene.

On the afternoon of Sunday, February 12, police confirmed the identity of the girl as Brianna Ghey and released a photograph of her.

The 16-year-old was from Birchwood and was a student at Birchwood High School.

The next day, Brianna’s devastated family paid tribute to her, describing her as ‘fearless’ and ‘one of a kind’.

They also said the loss of their daughter, granddaughter and baby sister has left a ‘massive hole’ in their family.