One of the teenagers who murdered 16-year-old Brianna Ghey has been refused permission to appeal against the length of his sentence.
Eddie Ratcliffe and Scarlett Jenkinson, then 15, lured Brianna to a park in Warrington, Cheshire, on 11 February 2023 before stabbing her to death in a frenzied attack.
The pair were convicted of her murder after a trial at Manchester Crown Court in December last year.
Ratcliffe was jailed for life with a minimum prison term of 20 years but his legal team had asked the Court of Appeal in London for a reduction claiming the trial judge failed to take his “immaturity” into account.
The Crown Prosecution Service opposed the appeal bid, arguing that the sentence was “appropriate” and was not “manifestly excessive”.
Three senior judges dismissed the bid and concluded that the proposed grounds of appeal were “not arguable.”
Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Mr Justice Lavender and Mr Justice Murray, said: “The judge was then entitled to take into account the aggravating factors as identified.”
Richard Littler KC, representing Ratcliffe, had told the court the teenager had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and selective mutism.
Mr Littler said Ratcliffe was found to have “poor social skills” and “immaturity”, as well as “a lower-than-expected ability to express what he thinks or articulate his ideas”, adding that the sentence was “far too high”.
He said: “There is no doubt they were taken into account, but they were not taken into account fully.”
