EFE London

London

Updated Friday, February 2, 2024-18:22

Two 16-year-old British teenagers, identified as

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe

, were sentenced this Friday to a minimum of 22 and 20 years in prison, respectively, for the "brutal" stabbing murder of a friend, Brianna Ghey, in England, on February 11, 2023.

Judge Amanda Yip, of the Manchester court, in the north of England, today outlined the details of a murder that she described as

"exceptional brutality"

and "planned", before announcing the sentence of the two minors, who will only be able to be released from prison if it is proven that they do not pose a danger to society after undergoing a strict rehabilitation program.

According to the judge, Ghey, who was transgender,

received up to 28

deep stab wounds with a hunting knife in the head, chest, arms and back in broad daylight in a Cheshire county park, in the northwest England.

The two teenagers participated in a murder that was

"sadistic in nature" and "extremely serious

," added the magistrate, who recognized that the two are extremely young and trusted that they can respond to the intense rehabilitation program.

The judge today authorized revealing the identity of the convicted men after she decided to lift a court order that prevented them from being named due to their age.

Lawyers for the two teenagers had opposed the media's request to lift restrictions on their identities, citing the potential consequences on their well-being.

The murder of the young woman caused a

great commotion in the United Kingdom

after she was found dead in February 2013 in a park in the town of Culcheth (Cheshire).

After learning of the brutal death of the teenager, members of the transgender community organized vigils in the English cities of Liverpool and Bristol, as well as in other cities in the United Kingdom, such as Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds.

In a statement read at Manchester court, Brianna's mother Esther said

she had "never felt so much pain"

and added that her daughter "must have been very scared".

The murder, according to the judge,

was premeditated

and it was Jenkinson who initiated the planning, by writing down the details on his mobile phone and in notebooks, where he had a list of up to five possible victims.

According to detectives who investigated the case, Jenkinson and Ratcliffe were

fascinated by violence, torture

and murder and the plan to kill Ghey took them weeks.

Prosecutor Nicola Williams said today that the teenagers had shown no remorse and described the level of planning and violence as "unbelievable".

"The two appear to have had a deadly influence on each other and turned into reality what may have begun as dark fantasies about the murder," he added.

"The messages between the two provided a terrifying insight into the twisted desires and fantasies of the two defendants. However, they also provided us with the motivation behind the attack, the plans and then the attempts to cover it up," he explained.

"Today's sentencing reflects the brutality of the two killers' ruthless crime and, while it cannot erase the pain of Brianna's loss, we hope it provides some closure," he said.