AN inquest heard how Brianna Ghey was an energetic ball of joy when she was little, but in her later years she was ‘immersed in darkness’.

“I think she went down a hole of negativity,” Brianna’s mum Esther Ghey told Warrington Coroner’s Court today, Wednesday.

Brianna was murdered on February 11, 2023, after being stabbed 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back at Culcheth Linear Park.

Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, both 15 at the time, were jailed for life after being convicted of the ‘sadistic’ and ‘exceptionally brutal’ murder following a trial last year.

An inquest into the 16-year-old’s Birchwood High School pupil’s death resumed today and is expected to last three days.

READ MORE > Recap: Everything that happened on day one of Brianna Ghey inquest

The court heard a written statement from Esther in which she said she believes Brianna’s mental health ‘deteriorated massively’ during lockdown.

She said that during the pandemic, Brianna spent a lot of time in her room online and that she ‘resented’ going back to school after the lockdown.

Esther said: “She always had a good imagination and enjoyed descriptive writing which she continued to do in the SEND unit.

“I think she went down a hole of negativity and I could see this played out in her writing.

“She seemed to crave negativity.

“I felt at this point, if there was anything negative in the world, she could latch onto it.

“I feel like the online world she was living in was very toxic.

“One time when she was 14 I took her phone off her for one to two weeks, she was like a different child she was so much happier.”

Esther said how she never met Scarlett, but she was relieved that Brianna was going out with friends and socialising.

“She would mention she was going out with Scarlett after school but didn’t go into much detail,” Esther said.

“Brianna didn’t like explaining herself to others, it was easier to talk to her on text.”

Esther’s statement revealed that she felt like Brianna was let down by the lack of mental health treatment.

She said: “When police came to the house, I just knew something like this was going to happen as it was such a dark time for everyone.

“I can’t believe the change Brianna went through, when she was little she was such an energetic ball of joy but in her teenage years she was emersed in darkness.”

The inquest heard how Brianna’s issues with mental health began around the age of 14 but she refused to engage with the Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

Brianna was also referred for treatment for ADHD and autism and she had been admitted to hospital for weight loss after being diagnosed with anorexia.