A COUNCILLOR has come under fire after she was accused of posting transphobic comments about a murdered teenager.

Julie Haines, an Evesham town councillor, has posted two Facebook comments on an article from the Metro about Brianna Ghey's murder. 

In an article entitled "Boy and girl, both 15, appear in court charged with Brianna Ghey’s murder", Cllr Haines wrote "Poor boy".

READ MORE: Evesham Councillor Julie Haines 'under investigation' after comments on trans community

Then when members of the public tried to correct her misgendering Brianna, who  transitioned into a woman, she added: "He was a deeply troubled boy. He needed help."

A girl and boy, both aged 15, have been remanded into custody charged over the death of the transgender 16-year-old from Warrington.

Andre Oldfield led a vigil for Brianna in Worcester and owns Sugar Daddy Cafe, an LGBTQ cafe in Worcester.

Mr Oldfield said: "To have a councillor come out and comment about this murdered child, to say the least is deeply troubled.

Worcester News: The comments were posted on the Metros Facebook article about Brianna Gheys murder. The comments were posted on the Metros Facebook article about Brianna Gheys murder. (Image: Facebook screen shot)

"If you are not prepared to support everyone in the community, then you should not be in power, even on a local level."

In 2019, Cllr Haines was under investigation for her comments towards the LGBTQ community.

It was launched after she reposted a Daily Mail article and referred to trans community supporters as "trans-pushers", adding, "tell it to someone who gives a s***".

Cllr Haines also responded to a USA Today article entitled 'Trump administration halts visas for same-sex partners of diplomats, UN employees.

She was accused of making more transphobic comments.

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When asked what was the outcome of Cllr Haines' previous investigation, Evesham Town Council did not respond. 

But a spokesperson for the council said: "Cllr Haines has confirmed that her comments are personal and do not relate to her council work.

"However, her views do not reflect the opinion of Evesham Town Council."

In response to her recent comments on social media, Cllr Haines said: "I feel huge sympathy for Brianna and Brianna's family and close friends and school colleagues.

"The death of this young person was a huge shock, as it always is whenever a child dies and is subsequently reported in the press.

"The article prefaced the information with the term "trans". This denotes a male person, hence my comment about Brianna's sex. 

"I also had in my mind the new book "Time to Breathe" written by newsnight journalist Hannah Barnes.

"It is not yet published, but I've noted some of the issues it addresses about the mental difficulties faced by teens.

"Brianna made bold and brave life decisions and should have lived a life in safety." 

We have been asked to point out that Councillor Julie Haines is no longer a member of the Liberal Democrat Party. The article has been updated to reflect this.

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