A BOY accused of murdering Brianna Ghey told police during his interview that his co-defendant ‘loves death and murderers’, a jury heard.

Two youths, referred to as boy Y and girl X, from Leigh and Warrington respectively, who cannot be named because of their ages, are both accused of the murder of Brianna in Culcheth Linear Park.

The 16-year-old transgender schoolgirl, from Birchwood, was found fatally injured on the afternoon of February 11.

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

Now in its second week at Manchester Crown Court, the jury was shown more video footage of Y’s police interviews, after officers had access to his phone messages.

Before Brianna’s death, the two messaged each other about potentially killing other children, with Y stating he would ‘do some research to help kill’, the jury heard.

When asked about this in his police interview, he said: “ I was just going along with stuff. I said I will go off and research. I just went on YouTube on funny videos. I think she’s still joking. I don’t even know if they’re real people.”

When asked what his reason for this is, he said: “I just don’t want people to not like me, don’t like not being liked.”

The court heard he told X in a message he would research ‘Chinese torture’, and when asked about this by police, Y said: “I like to learn about pasts. I like to know how they used to punish people. I already knew some of it's impossible to do.”

He adds to detectives: “I’m trying to suggest things that I know she would be overjoyed with. I don’t agree with anything I say in conversations.”

In another message, the court heard, X suggests that Y ‘distracts’ someone while she stabs him, and on this he tells police: “I still thought we were joking around. I thought I’d play along and include me in the mix. Not really a plan. It’s just me joking.”

He later says: “I’m playing along with her fantasy. She likes to make up lots of stories. I don’t really think she’s serious.

“I just go along with what she’s saying and give examples of what she could do. I don’t think that she’s ever going to do anything. I just think she’s making up these stories to satisfy herself.”

On why he wants to do so, the court heard, Y said he doesn’t want to lose any of the few friends he has, and he admitted he is ‘frightened’ of her due to what he says he saw in Culcheth Linear Park on February 11.

Boy Y went on to tell police that he thought girl X was ‘making up a story’ and ‘writing a book’, adding: “I always think that she’s joking around because you never believe what she’s saying.

“It’s possible that she’s just been making all these stories to go into a book and she was just using me as a way to create these stories to better it.”

The trial heard that Y told police that he did not see X as a ‘violent person’ beforehand and thought she was ‘harmless’, but he did say: “Whenever she’s talking about killing, she’s always smiling and everything. I just think that’s the way she jokes. I didn’t think she was ever gonna do any of that.”

He also told his interviewers: “She’s always on about how much she loves death and murderers and how she likes to do stuff. I thought that’s just the way she acted.”

When he was asked by a detective if the joke had gone too far, he said: “I’m not good at judging what jokes are. I think I go too far with jokes. I see it now. But then I didn’t notice it.”

Y also claimed that if he knew what would happen in the park, he would have reported it to the police, jurors heard.

The court previously heard that there is no dispute that both Y and Y were in Culcheth Linear Park with Brianna, nor is there any dispute that in the days and weeks leading up to that day, they had discussed killing her.

Each defendant denies that they are guilty of murder. Each denies that they participated in her killing at all. Each blames the other, jurors were told.

The trial continues.

Cheshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service remind everyone that criminal proceedings against both defendants are active, and that they have the right to a fair trial.

It is extremely important that there should be no commenting or sharing of information or speculation which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.

Due to their age, reporting restrictions are in place for both defendants, entitling them to anonymity, as well as other children involved in the evidence.