Esther Ghey has opened up about how she was able to find friendship with the mother of one of her daughter Brianna's killers, two years on from the teenager's heartbreaking death.
On 11 February 2023 Brianna's killing would send shockwaves up and down the country. Brianna had travelled to meet a girl she believed to be her friend at a park near her home in Warrington, Cheshire. Taking a bus journey alone to meet up with a friend was a huge step for the 16-year-old, who'd even texted Esther to say she was feeling 'scared'.
However her mother's supportive response would go unread, as the girl – and her male friend – had both cruelly planned to lure Brianna to the park and, in a sadistic and pre-mediated act of violence, stabbed her repeatedly.
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Brianna's killers — later named as Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 15, — both received life sentences after being found guilty. It was also revealed during the trial that the pair had been radicalised by a combination extreme violence accessed on the dark web and hatred for Brianna’s transgender identity.
Two years on from Brianna’s passing and her mother Esther Ghey now leads a dedicated campaign to raise awareness about the dangers, working with ITV on Brianna: A Mother’s Story.
Finding common ground with the mother of one of Brianna's killers
The 75-minute documentary highlights how the availability of harmful and violent content online has torn apart countless families just like her own — including the relatives of her killers.
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One of the most striking aspects of the documentary was Esther’s resilience and compassion in the face of such an unthinkable tragedy, which allowed her to find ‘sympathy’ for the killers’ families after seeing how ‘broken’ they were during the trial.
Her compassion would later see her form an unlikely friendship with Jenkinson’s mother, with the pair now speaking on a weekly basis. The decision to reach out was never a difficult one for Esther, who told LADbible ahead of the documentary's premiere: "Scarlett's mum was brave enough to come and meet me, and it must have been such a difficult thing for her to do and to face."
Believing the friendship was ‘healing’ for the pair, she continued: "It was a comfort to me to understand that she's just a normal mum who is trying to navigate this new world and trying to safeguard her child as well.
"Unfortunately, we've both found ourselves in a situation that nobody, no parent, would ever want to be in."
Healing through campaign work: Esther's mission to raise awareness about social media and young people
In the two years since Brianna’s death, Esther has dedicated her life to raising awareness about how easily young people are able to access violent content online.
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"It was the hardest thing that our family has ever, ever endured," she explained. "It kind of feels like yesterday, and like all of my time has kind of warped."
Grief also had a physical impact of Esther’s wellbeing, with the 38-year-old recalling how she began to experience physical symptoms as well.
"My eyes were swollen; my arm was swollen. It was just, it was just the most horrific time," she added.
However, this hasn’t put Esther off making sure she not only keeps her daughter’s memory alive, but making sure she’s known beyond the circumstances of her death, with the documentary highlighting Brianna’s hobbies, love for the colour pink and making TikTok videos with her friends.
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"If we can make a positive difference in Brianna's name, then her death wasn't for nothing."
Brianna: A Mother's Story airs Thursday (27 March) at 9pm on ITV1. Stream an extended edition on ITVX.
Brenna Cooper