Killers to be identified today
Judge will name two teenagers who murdered 16-year-old Brianna Ghey
The two teenagers who murdered 16-year-old Brianna Ghey near Warrington almost a year ago will be addressed by name when they are sentenced at Manchester Crown Court today by Mrs Justice Yip. Her sentencing remarks will be shown on live television, either during the late morning or the early afternoon.
Because the defendants were under 18 at the time of the murder, the judge will order them to be detained during His Majesty’s pleasure — in other words, indefinitely. Yip will also set a minimum term that each must serve before being considered for release on licence.
In setting the starting point, the judge must consider whether the seriousness of the offence is “exceptionally high”, “particularly high” or neither of these categories. In the second category, the starting point for an adult is 30 years. For someone aged 15 or 16 when the offence is committed, the starting point is 20 years.
If the case does not fall into the second category, but the defendant took a knife to the scene with intent, the starting point for an adult is 25 years and for a 15-year-old it is 17 years.1
The starting point can be reduced to reflect mitigating factors — such as a mental disorder — and increased because of aggravating factors, such as a significant degree of planning or premeditation.
Why, though, will the judge be identifying Girl X and Boy Y during her sentencing remarks? And was that the right judgement to make?
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