A teenage girl accused of killing Brianna Ghey has told a court she was in “shock” when she saw her friend stabbing the 16-year-old, causing her to “fall face down on the floor”.
The 16-year-old defendant, known as girl X, claims she had her back to her co-accused, boy Y, who is also 16, and Brianna when she “heard a noise like someone screaming” and turned around.
“I saw boy Y stabbing Brianna,” she said.
“It looked like she was starting to fall towards the floor because she was kind of like leaning a bit.”
Girl X said she saw boy Y stab Brianna, who was transgender, “around five times”, adding: “I seen her fall and land face down on the floor.
“I saw him stand next to her leaning over, looking down on her,” telling Manchester Crown Court he “could’ve” stabbed her again while she was on the floor.
Brianna was stabbed 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back with a hunting knife after being lured to Linear Park in Culcheth, near Warrington, on 11 February, the court has heard.
Girl X and boy Y, who were both 15 at the time and cannot be identified because of their age, deny murder and are blaming each other for the killing.
Girl X became visibly upset at one point while giving evidence today, wiping away a tear when recalling the moments after Brianna’s death.
Asked by her barrister Richard Pratt KC how she felt when she saw the boy stabbing Brianna, she said: “I was in shock really when it happened.”
She added: “There was nothing really I could do because if I tried to stop him, boy Y could’ve easily overpowered me.”
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
She claimed she had not expected the alleged attack and had not wanted it to happen, claiming previous discussions about killing Brianna had been a “fantasy”.
“I walked over to see if I could see her breathing and I couldn’t. I saw boy Y start to run and then I panicked and started running with him,” she said.
“I kept thinking about whether I should go back or not.”
Girl X denied she had stabbed Brianna, that she wanted boy Y to stab her or that she had wanted the victim to die.
Asked how she feels about Brianna’s death, she said: “I do feel really upset about it.”
The trial continues.
