Brianna Ghey, age 16, was murdered in England in February 2023 in a premeditated stabbing attack by two 15 year olds, Scarlett and Eddie. The court decided the offence was primarily motivated by sadistic tendencies. They were sentenced last week to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years and 20 years respectively. I sat down with one of the UK's most respected forensic psychologists, Dr Naomi Murphy, who has 25 years experience working with violent and sexually violent offenders, to ask some questions like:
- How might the risk they pose change as their brains mature?
- Would Scarlett watching violence on the dark web have contributed to her decision to murder Brianna?
- What impact might naming the killers have?
- What might adult prison be like for them by the time they get there?
- How do we better support the staff who are caring for people who have committed such heinous crimes?
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Dr Murphy's links
Evolving Prisons links