An anti-knife crime campaigner has called for murderers to be named regardless of age following the conviction of a Harrogate teenager.
Dylan Cranfield, 17, was found guilty of murdering Seb Mitchell, 17, at Leeds Crown Court last week.
Cranfield, who was 16 at the time of the incidentm stabbed Harrogate Grammar School pupil Seb to death with a kitchen knife after a row over a broken mirror at a property on Claro Road.
Cranfield was granted anonymity until the outcome of the trial, when Judge Guy Kearl, the Recorder of Leeds, lifted reporting restrictions on the media.
Seb Mitchell
Judge Kearl said he hoped it would serve as a warning to other young people about the dangers of knives.
But Theresa Cave, founder of the anti-knife crime Chris Cave Foundation, said those convicted of murder should be named regardless of how old they are.
Ms Cave, who is from Redcar, founded the charity in 2005 after her son Chris was stabbed to death two years prior.
She said:
“I feel very strongly that anyone who murders another should be named regardless of age or gender if they are proven with intent.
“They should also face an adult sentence from the age of 16 as they know right from wrong.
“Murder is the most heinous crime and should be treated as such.”
Read more:
- Seb Mitchell trial: Murder accused stabbed victim after row
- Court allows media to name Harrogate boy murderer
Courts have discretionary powers to prevent the media from naming children to protect their welfare. Such orders remain in place until the child reaches 18.
Judge Kearl said the welfare of children had to be balanced against the open justice principle that says the media should be able to report cases “fully and contemporaneously”.
He said the public interest of highlighting the dangers of knife crime meant it was therefore “in the interests of justice to lift reporting restrictions”.
The court will sentence Cranfield on October 4.
