Family of Brianna Ghey ‘overwhelmed’ by support from across the country

The family of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey have been “overwhelmed” by “support, positivity and compassion” from across the country, police have said.

Brianna, from Birchwood in Warrington, Cheshire, was found with fatal stab wounds on a path in Culcheth Linear Park shortly after 3pm on Saturday.

A boy and girl, both aged 15, have been charged with her murder and appeared via videolink at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday where a trial date was fixed for July.

Vigils in memory of Brianna, a transgender girl, have been held across the country, with more planned over the weekend, including in her home town of Warrington.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Waller thanked the community of Culcheth for its support and said officers had been “inundated” with information.

He said: “I know that the family have also been overwhelmed by the messages of support, positivity and the compassion across the country and beyond – and the thoughts of everyone at the constabulary remain firmly with them.”

The girl, from Warrington, and boy, from Leigh, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were charged with Brianna’s murder on Wednesday.

At the hearing on Thursday, they appeared on separate videolinks from youth detention accommodation and were both accompanied by an adult.

The teenagers spoke to confirm their names and dates of birth.

The girl’s parents and the boy’s mother were in the public gallery for the hearing, which lasted just under half an hour, and both mothers appeared tearful.

Judge David Aubrey KC fixed a trial date for July 10, with the case expected to last about three weeks.

He remanded them both into youth detention accommodation ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on May 2.