Eddie Ratcliffe, one of two teenagers convicted of the murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey has had a bid to change the length of his sentence dismissed at the Court of Appeal.

Ratcliffe appealed on the basis that his sentence didn’t take into account his “immaturity”, with lawyers arguing the minimum term was “far too high”.

Brianna was stabbed 28 times last year with a hunting knife by Ratcliffe and co-defendant Scarlett Jenkinson.

She was killed in Linear Park, Culcheth near Warrington.

Her murder was described as “exceptionally brutal”, with Radcliffe sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years in February this year. Radcliffe was also found to have expressed transphobia towards his victim.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) argued today that the sentence was “appropriate”, dismissing claims that Ratcliffe’s time in prison was “manifestly excessive”.

In a ruling today, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Mr Justice Lavender and Mr Justice Murray dismissed the bid, stating that arguments made by Ratcliffe’s lawyers were “based on a false premise”.

They found that the judge who gave the initial sentencing of 20 years minimum term was correct.