Brianna Ghey tried defending herself as she was stabbed 28 times in fatal attack

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Transgender teenager Brianna Ghey suffered unsurvivable injuries when she was stabbed 28 times during a “sustained and violent assault”, a court heard.

And the knife used was “consistent” with the 12cm hunting knife found, with her blood still on it, in the bedroom of a boy, one of the two teenagers accused of her murder, Manchester Crown Court was told.

The boy and girl, who cannot be named because of their ages, are both accused of the murder of Brianna, 16, who was found fatally injured in Culcheth Linear Park, near Warrington, on the afternoon of 11 February.

Both defendants, aged 15 at the time, now both 16, deny murder and are blaming each other for Brianna’s death.

The trial, now in its second week, has been told the defendants had a fixation with torture, violence and death, and drew up a “kill list” of child victims.

An alleged “murder plan” to kill Brianna was found in the bedroom of the girl, who had an interest in serial killers and described herself as a “Satanist” the trial has heard.

Today, Home office consultant pathologist Dr Alison Armour told the jury of the results of the post-mortem examination she carried out on Brianna’s body at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital the day after her death.

It took about two hours to detail the injuries using computer generated images, detailing the location of the injuries on Brianna’s body.

Dr Armour said of the 28 stab wounds, 14 were to the head and neck and 14 to the chest, back and sides. She concluded the injuries were consistent with a “sustained and violent assault” with a bladed weapon.

Defence injuries to her right arm and right thumb included one wound entering the bicep and exiting the outside of the arm below the shoulder.

Five “significant” injuries were also detailed, which resulted in wounds and damage to the left and right lung, which were both punctured.

To the right-hand side of her neck there was a series of six stab wounds, one which completely severed the jugular vein and carotid artery.

This injury alone would have been sufficient to cause death, Dr Armour said, from a “catastrophic haemorrhage”.

Deanna Heer KC, prosecuting, asked the pathologist about images she had seen of the hunting knife found in the girl’s bedroom, which has a single sharp edge blade, 12cm in length.

Ms Heer said, “Is that a candidate for causing some or all of these wounds?”

“Yes, it is,” Dr Armour replied.

Dr Armour said she could not exclude the possibility another knife, of similar size, could have been used to inflict the wounds – but there was no positive evidence suggesting the use of a second knife.

And Dr Armour said from the pathology evidence it is not possible to say in which order the wounds were inflicted or whether Brianna was standing or sitting down when she was stabbed.

The trial continues.