A BOY and a girl have been found guilty and convicted of the murder of Brianna Ghey.

Brianna died aged 16 after being stabbed with a hunting knife 28 times in her head, neck, chest and back in Culcheth Linear Park on the afternoon of February 11.

The verdicts came after a four-week trial, and after four hours and 40 minutes of deliberations by a jury of seven men and five women.

Both defendants, who cannot be named due to their age, denied murdering the transgender Birchwood schoolgirl and blamed each other for Brianna’s death.

Neither defendant, sat next to a social worker each and surrounded by six security staff filling the dock, made any visible reaction as the jury foreman delivered the guilty verdicts.

Boy Y’s mother’s head slumped down on to the shoulder of a friend sat beside her and began crying.

Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip told jurors she will not pass sentence this week.

She told the jury: “All 12 of you have provided outstanding service. No doubt when you came to court you did not anticipate such an emotionally difficult one as this one.”

She excused jurors from serving on a jury again for life before adjourning the court hearing briefly.

Girl X, wearing a pinafore style dress, spoke to her social worker and glanced at her parents leaving the courtroom.

Boy Y, who avoids all eye contact, did not look over at his mother as he was led from the dock carrying his Sudoku puzzles book.

She continued sobbing uncontrollably while being hugged by her friend.

The two 16-year-olds, aged 15 at the time of the offence, referred to only as girl X, from Warrington, and boy Y, from Leigh, both said their backs were turned when the other defendant began stabbing Brianna in a “frenzied” fashion.

The trial heard both defendants had a fascination for violence, torture and murder and had planned the killing for weeks.

Jurors heard girl X was “obsessed” with Brianna, enjoyed watching internet torture and killing material from the “dark web” and had an interest in serial killers.

The jury was also shown a "murder plan" on how to kill Brianna, along with phone messages girl X and boy Y exchanged, including a "kill list" of other children they planned to harm.