Mum of Brianna Ghey killer Eddie Ratcliffe says he was 'caring boy' with 'good morals'

Brianna Ghey's murderer Eddie Ratcliffe was described as a 'caring boy', who had dreams of studying at Oxford University, by his mother.

The killer's mum portrayed him as a 'sensitive boy' with 'good morals', just days after he and his accomplice, Scarlett Jenkinson, lured Brianna to her death.

The pair, both 15 at the time, stabbed Brianna 28 times with a knife Eddie had brought back from a family holiday to Bulgaria. They left the transgender teen in a pool of her own blood in Culcheth Linear Park, Warrington, where she was later discovered by a dog walker.

READ MORE: Brianna Ghey's dad breaks down in tears at inquest as he speaks of his daughter

A statement from Eddie's mother, Alice Hemmings, was made public for the first time at an inquest into Brianna's death today, reports the Mirror.

In it, Ms Hemmings said: "I would like to reiterate that Eddie is a good child with good morals and with a loving, caring family behind him, he struggles to express himself, he's very shy and lacks confidence." She added: "He is a sensitive character, quite private but a very caring child."

Ms Hemmings disclosed that Eddie, who is now serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years, had dreamed of going to university to study microbiology and had already been offered a place at Oxford's Priestley College, subject to achieving the required grades.

"He is polite and articulate if conversing on something that interests him, like scientific facts," she said.

The mother of three recounted the day of Brianna's murder, revealing her unease as she dropped her son off in Culcheth. She described feeling uneasy without knowing why, suspecting her son Eddie might be meeting a girl, though he claimed it was one of his "male friends".

She added: "As I was driving him to Culcheth he seemed a bit tense and moody which is not like him at all. I know he's a teen but he's not a generic teen."

Noticing his unusual behaviour, she said: "He was on and off his phone, he seemed unsettled and particularly snappy with his brother that week

"It was no different to any other day. He wanted dropping at Sainsbury's.

"I wanted to see his male friend to put my mind at rest but I couldn't see him. Eddie seemed in a rush to close the door. I don't know why but I felt uneasy on this day."