NO - CAROLYNE WILLOW, NATIONAL CO-ORDINATOR, CHILDREN'S RIGHTS ALLIANCE FOR ENGLAND
The reporting of juveniles is in clear breach of international law. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice give under-18s the right to privacy at all stages of legal proceedings. These standards are designed to protect children from public hostility and, more importantly, to assist their rehabilitation. There can be no justification for making a public spectacle of children.
YES - MARK NAYLOR, COURT REPORTER, THE GRIMSBY TELEGRAPH, WHICH APPLIED TO HAVE REPORTING RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
Mr Justice Goldring said there were "good reasons" to lift the Section 39 order. There was "legitimate public interest" and nothing in psychological and psychiatric reports suggested particular damage would be caused. The judge rejected claims that the case was like that of Jamie Bulger's killers, because they were much younger. Most important was to deter other young people thinking they could commit murder and hide behind the cloak of anonymity.
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