They’re in a club no parent wants to be a part of.
Esther Ghey’s 16-year-old daughter Brianna was brutally murdered by two teenagers. And Jane Coates’ only child Lucy Harrison, 23, was shot dead by her dad. But it was through the agony of losing their girls that the mums found each other and formed an unbreakable bond. And they’ve now teamed up to make the world a safer place for other young people.
Sharing their special friendship for the first time, Esther, 39, told the Mirror: “Brianna and Lucy have brought us together – it feels as though this was meant to happen. It’s having someone who you can be completely open with about grief and your experiences – our relationship is on a deeper level.
“There are some things we’ve spoken to each other about that we wouldn’t necessarily say to other people because they might not understand. I feel really really really lucky to have Jane and I am so glad she came into my life.”
View 5 ImagesEsther Ghey and Jane Coates believe their daughters brought them together (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Jane, 49, added: “Esther has been a real anchor of support for me. Sometimes there are things that are just unsaid that you don’t actually need to say because we just understand. This is a life you never ever imagine you’ll be living and having to walk through, [but] to have somebody who can just guide you and say ‘I’ve experienced this,’ is amazing.”
Fashion buyer Lucy, from Warrington, Cheshire, was visiting her “functioning alcoholic” dad Kris Harrison in Texas when he shot her in the chest on January 10, 2025. A coroner here ruled her death was unlawful, but no criminal case was brought against him in the US as he claimed the gun went off accidentally.
Esther and Jane briefly met at a mindfulness workshop a year before Lucy died, but it was her tragic passing that cemented their bond. Jane said: “When Lucy died, Esther got in touch through Brianna’s former headteacher, Emma, and they both came to visit me before the funeral. They sat for a good couple of hours and I just remember Esther listened with real empathy – and that meant so much. Our relationship has just grown from there.”
5View 5 ImagesBrianna Ghey was stabbed to death by two teenagers(Image: PA)
5View 5 ImagesLucy Harrison from shot in the chest by her dad
Although their daughters never met, Esther feels Lucy and Brianna have formed a strong bond too. She said: “My office is now in Brianna’s room, I have my desk in there and I really feel like she’s with me. One time I was sitting and thinking about Jane and I remember really feeling like Brianna and Lucy were with each other. I thought about how they would interact. I’ve never met Lucy, but it really felt like I was with them both and they were pushing us together.”
Jane feels the same, and believes her relationship with Esther is a gift from Lucy. “Before she died, we were sitting at the table having tea and I told Luce all about Esther. Normally she’d switch off and roll her eyes, but she was genuinely interested and really invested in me doing it. It feels like Lucy and Brianna are with us too.”
Since Brianna’s death in 2023 at the hands of teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, Esther has been on a mission to make the world a safer place for young people. She advocates for mindfulness in schools and her community interest company, The Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, runs wellbeing sessions for pupils and their parents.
View 5 ImagesThe mums are on a mission to make the world a safer place for young people (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
As deputy head of a primary school, Jane decided to join Esther’s fight. Some 12 teachers at her school have now signed up for mindfulness training, and nearly every class has benefited from the wellbeing sessions. Jane has also been appointed director of the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project.
She said: “Esther and I are very similar and very aligned about wanting to push forward for change and we’re very in line in the way that we’re doing it. We’re not shouty people, we want to do it with compassion and with integrity. At my darkest time of grief, as well as having Esther’s friendship, she’s given me the opportunity to be passionate about something again. In those early days and months, you just become numb to the shock and I had to take time off work. But Esther gave me the opportunity, the encouragement and the belief that I could find passion again in something. I’ve reconnected, and I’m so grateful for that.”
Lucy’s boyfriend Sam Littler this week spoke publicly for the first time on the circumstances of her death. Sam, who was in a different room in the house in Texas when Lucy was shot, said: “Despite officers being aware that alcohol had been consumed, and despite Kris being the only other person in the room when Lucy was shot, no breathalyser or blood alcohol test was carried out. Given the seriousness of the incident, I struggled to understand why objective testing was not undertaken at the time.”
View 5 Images(Image: PA)
The Prosper Police Department was approached for comment.
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- Jane has launched campaign group, For Luce, calling for the case to be reopened in the US. Support her fight here