An independent safeguarding review has concluded that services involved with Scarlett Jenkinson, who was convicted of the brutal murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey, were unaware of Jenkinson’s “fascination with violent acts” and had “no reason to be concerned” about her interactions with other students.
Jenkinson, then 15, and her accomplice Eddie Ratcliffe were sentenced to life imprisonment for the planned and sadistic murder of Brianna Ghey in a Warrington park in February 2023. The murder was described as “brutal, planned, and sadistic.”
The review, ordered after Jenkinson and Ratcliffe’s convictions, focused on Jenkinson’s interactions with safeguarding agencies in Warrington but did not cover Ratcliffe due to his residence in neighbouring Wigan. It revealed that Jenkinson had moved from Culcheth High School to Birchwood Community High School in November 2022 after an incident involving spiking a younger pupil with a cannabis sweet. Despite this, there were no existing concerns or known reasons to prevent her from mingling with other students.
The report highlighted that Jenkinson had previously been seen by GPs and child mental health services for issues related to anxiety and self-harming, but these agencies were unaware of her two previous attempts to murder Brianna in January 2023. Additionally, they did not know of her use of the dark web to view violent content—a fact that emerged during her trial.
The review noted that while Jenkinson exhibited signs of mental health issues, including hearing voices and self-harming, the diagnosis of “conduct dissocial disorder” was not established before the murder. The review found that her earlier behavior, such as spiking the younger pupil, was not considered severe enough to prompt suspicion of future violent acts.
Furthermore, the review identified gaps in communication between schools regarding Jenkinson’s safeguarding file, which contained non-proven suspicions about her cannabis use and history of self-harm. This lack of shared information may have hindered the effectiveness of her school transition.
The review criticized the police for not pursuing further action following the spiking incident, noting that an officer should have visited Jenkinson’s home to address the seriousness of the offense and assess family dynamics.
In its conclusions, the review stated that practitioners who interacted with Jenkinson before the murder did not recognize her as a serious risk. They were unaware of her violent tendencies and saw no reason to be concerned about her interactions with Brianna.
The review has made several recommendations for improving the handling of vulnerable children moving between schools and for better safeguarding online. It urged the Warrington Safeguarding Partnerships to obtain evidence from the police on how they have addressed these issues and to ensure that all agencies involved have identified and acted on the learning points from the review.
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