Esther Ghey: Finding forgiveness
This is a blog by our Communications and Campaigns Manager, Keeva Baxter.
Last week, Esther Ghey, mother of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey who was murdered in 2023, appeared on Woman’s Hour, discussing how she has come to find forgiveness for the two people who killed her daughter.
Last February, Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe were sentenced to 22 years and 20 years respectively for Brianna’s murder, and will spend the remainder of their lives on licence once released.
In the Woman’s Hour appearance, Esther discussed her new book, Under a Pink Sky: A mothers story of love loss and the power of forgiveness. The book explores her own battle with drugs and her experience as Brianna’s mother. She is also campaigning for more protection for young people online as she shares how Brianna was addicted to her phone and social media in the last years of her life. Esther explained that Brianna was accessing harmful content online, including posts encouraging self harm and eating disorders.
A key theme of both the book and her radio interview was forgiveness, and she shared her journey through meeting the mother of Scarlett Jenkinson, one of the children who murdered Brianna. “I saw how the other families were impacted by what their children had done… It wasn’t only me who lost my child on that day, it was the other parents as well”
“It was important for me to meet her because we can tell stories to ourselves about the way that people are and I wanted to understand how this woman was and… she was actually a really lovely, normal woman”. Esther described their first meeting as “really emotional” and said of the other mother that “it shows complete bravery coming to meet me”.
Talking about how her feelings have progressed since the loss of her daughter, Esther said “I think that the power of forgiveness is absolutely remarkable and I know how much it’s impacted me in my life, and forgiveness doesn’t mean that you’re righting wrongs… I forgive the children that took Brianna’s life away from me but that’s for me it’s not for them it’s because I don’t want to carry that hate in my heart.”
By having the conversation, she was able to see the similarities between her own experience, and that of one of the perpetrators’ mothers too. Esther’s story demonstrates the power of human connection, dialogue and empathy, a true embodiment of many of the restorative principles.
Listen now at 10:35: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0028kvy
See a video snippet of the conversation: https://www.instagram.com/bbcwomanshour/reel/DGlHnsKM2Dm/