Boy loses right to privacy over knife case

A TEENAGER cleared of allegations that he lied to police about the fatal stabbing of a grammar school pupil has lost a High Court bid to keep his identity secret until he finishes his education.

He went on trial last year, identified only as “Boy B”, alongside Joshua Molnar after the death of their friend Yousef Makki in Hale Barns, Cheshire, on March 2, 2019.

Yousef, a 17-year-old who had won a scholarship to the prestigious £12,000-a-year Manchester Grammar School, was knifed in the heart by Molnar, now 18, during a fight.

Molnar was cleared of murder and manslaughter following a four-week trial at Manchester Crown Court in July, telling the jury he acted in self-defence after Yousef pulled a knife on him.

He admitted possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice by initially lying to police about what had happened, and was given 16 months in custody.

Boy B, then 17, was acquitted of perverting the course of justice. He was given a four-month detention order after admitting possession of a flick knife.

Both he and Molnar were acquitted of conspiracy to commit robbery in the lead-up to Yousef ’s death.

Boy B’s anonymity was due to automatically expire when he turned 18 last Friday, but he asked the High Court to protect his identity until he finishes his education in November 2021.

Giving judgment in London, Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that “the curtailment of the claimant’s and his family’s right to respect for their private and family life is, in my judgment, clearly justified by the compelling public interest in open justice”.

However, Boy B cannot yet be named as his lawyers are pursuing an appeal.