IN a significant court ruling, Judge Andrew Menary KC has permitted the identification of the suspect in the recent stabbing attack as Axel Rudakubana.
Judge Menary’s decision followed a 20-minute hearing of legal arguments, ultimately declining to issue an order to conceal Rudakubana’s identity.
Axel Rudakubana, who will turn 18 in six days, has been remanded in youth custody.
He has been charged with the murders of Bebe King six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine; 10 counts of attempted murder; and possession of a bladed article, namely a “kitchen knife with a curved blade” following the attack on Monday.
This is unusual because, strictly speaking, under the law, anybody who is younger than 18 has the protection of the law and can’t be named.
From the moment we knew that a 17-year-old had been arrested as the suspect – even though eventually, we worked out his identity The Herald, and other media, were still prevented from naming him.
This decision by Judge Menary marks a departure from the typical legal protections afforded to minors, underscoring the judge’s confidence in the legal justifications for this disclosure.
The fact he is days away from his 18th birthday, the serious nature of the alleged crimes, and the unrest caused by the misinformation online over a Muslim-sounding name, would no doubt have been factors in consideration.
