Jayne Dowle: Judge had no choice but to name teacher’s killer

It’s natural to spare a thought for his parents. How do they rebuild their lives after this? The judge’s decision to allow their son to be publicly named means they too will be marked for the rest of their days. Everyone will know.

Yet even without his identity being revealed, they would still have to live with the knowledge of what he had done. Besides, when trauma of such magnitude strikes a family, the last thing on their minds is what other people think of them. Their focus will be on trying to come to terms with what has happened, piecing together some kind of normal life.

Then there is the community which surrounds Corpus Christi school. Everyone who witnessed the terrible events of April this year, and had to deal with the aftermath, knew which pupil had wielded the knife.

So, yes, imagine if it was your son. You would know you couldn’t hide the truth from those who knew first-hand. But was it the right decision to make it known to the world? I think it was, for several reasons.

The first one is that Cornick is now 16. Those who defend his right to anonymity argue that he is still a child. Yet he is old enough to join the Army, to get married, and if electoral reformers have their way, to vote.

By the account given in court, the killing wasn’t the random lashing-out of a frustrated adolescent, but a pre-mediated murder showing a degree of calculated maturity. He committed it in public. To atone for it in the public glare does not seem inappropriate. As Justice Coulson said, it is entirely “in the public interest”.

And, importantly, by releasing his identity without compunction, the presiding judge has stopped all speculation. I don’t think it was the main reason why Justice Coulson took the decision to reveal, but I suspect that part of his reasoning and justification stems from a desire to make a statement that the law is ultimately more powerful than the internet.

By announcing the identity so clearly he has come down hard on those who seek to find a way around the law to prove that it can be done. He has made a statement here which goes beyond the remit of the actual case before him.

It also prevents mis-identification. In a situation which has been characterised by such an outpouring of grief and emotion, the potential for a witch-hunt is huge. Would it really be preferable for the “who killed Ann Maguire?” debate to roll on for years? For a case of mistaken identity in prison to end in another crime, of assault or worse? For the authorities to mismanage the situation of identity protection, and for an innocent person – and/or his family – to be hounded? Remember what happened when Scott Bradley, a man mistaken for Robert Thompson, one of the killers of Liverpool toddler Jamie Bulger, was hounded by locals in a Scottish village? He took his own life to escape the malicious rumours and abuse. It is bad enough that Ann Maguire had to die. Why cause, even inadvertently, the death of another person?

By making it clear who committed the crime, Justice Coulson has put a lid on all of this. Also, he has made a point. Not only that the law is ultimately more powerful than any individual, but that this kind of crime can never be excusable.

Campaigners for youth justice argue that no matter the severity of his act, Will Cornick has a right to rehabilitation.
This is true, as it would be for any individual. However, he has been given life imprisonment and is expected to serve at least 20 years before any possibility of parole is discussed. The matter of his rehabilitation is a very long way off. Surely, we must recognise that steps should be taken now to acknowledge the severity of the crime, and in doing so to set a warning example to others?

As rational adults, it might be difficult for us to comprehend that anyone would want to do what Will Cornick did.

However, you only have to spend a few minutes online to stumble across the level of fascination with murdering a teacher. And needless to say, it is young people who are most impressed. The last thing anyone wants is for any disaffected youngster to think that if they were to do the same one day, they would somehow “get away with it”.

Justice Coulson has not only chosen to not protect a killer’s identity. He has chosen to try and protect other innocent people from being killed too.

Jayne Dowle