The jury in the Brianna Ghey murder trial have retired to consider their verdicts.
Brianna, who was a 16-year-old pupil at Birchwood High School, Warrington, was stabbed to death on a path in Culcheth Linear Park. on Saturday, February 11. A girl and a boy, both aged 15 at the time, were arrested and charged with her murder.
Both defendants deny murder and blame each other for the stabbing. Neither accused can be named by court order because of their age and are identified only as Girl X, from Warrington, and Boy Y, from Leigh, Greater Manchester.
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READ MORE: Brianna Ghey live court updates as murder trial continues
Mrs Justice Yip, who is presiding over the trial, sent the jury out to consider their verdicts just after 10am today on Wednesday, December 20. Addressing the jury, the judge said: "It’s entirely up to you how you organise your discussions. You may find it useful to find a juror to chair your discussions."
She says all of them should be able to “express their views” and adds: "If you each listen to the views of others, in almost all cases juries are able to reach verdicts they all agree on.
"It is important you try to reach verdicts which are unanimous. The law permits me in certain circumstances to accept a verdict which is not the verdict of you all. Those circumstances have not yet arisen. Should the time come when it is possible for me to accept a majority verdict, I will give you a further direction."
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