A 14-year-old killer has failed in his bid to stay anonymous – allowing a regional daily that is campaigning against knife crime to name him.

The Newcastle Chronicle has welcomed a decision by a judge to lift an order made under section 45 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act without the need for a press application.

The move allowed media including the Chronicle, which is currently campaigning to wipe out knife crime on its patch, to name Leighton Amies, now 15, who stabbed 14-year-old Tomasz Oleszak to death at a park in Gateshead last October.

Following the conviction of Amies at Newcastle Crown Court, trial judge Mr Justice Spencer made clear that the public interest in the murderer being named in media reports outweighed other concerns.

A representative of the youth offending team argued that Amies should remain anonymous for reasons including that it would aid his rehabilitation and it was “in the interests of the child that his name is not released”.

The representative added that Amies has learning difficulties and said that “being aware his name is being released to the national press would not help his emotions at this time.”

Arguments were also made about the effect on his family, who have moved house as a result of the murder.

But Mr Justice Spencer ruled the reporting restriction should be lifted so what he called a “tragic and appalling crime” could be reported fully.

He told the court: “The public interest in the reporting fully of these proceedings, including the identity of the defendant, outweighs the interests of the defendant in having his anonymity maintained.

“In the circumstances, I do make an order dispensing with the anonymity and allowing his identity to be reported.”

Prior to the defence’s challenge, the judge had noted the forthcoming sentence would “inevitably” take Amies past his 18th birthday, when the order would lapse anyway.

The judge added: “The interest of the public in knowing the identity of someone who has committed an offence of murder would have to be balanced in favour of that revelation rather than maintaining the anonymity.

“The interests of the public and press is at this moment, when he is convicted of murder and there will be some significant reporting of this matter in the next 24 hours.

“This is the moment when I would have thought the press interest would be most keen to be able to reveal the identity of the defendant.”

The murder, as well as the more recent deaths of 14-year-old Gordon Gault and 15-year-old Holly Newton, prompted the Chronicle and its Chronicle Live sister website to launch its ‘Stop Knives Taking Lives’ campaign in February.

Praising the judge’s decision, editor Sophie Barley told HTFP: “The judge felt strongly that the public interest in naming Amies outweighed the killer’s own interests and so the judge lifted the restrictions without the need for the press to apply for this to happen.

“This crime shook the Gateshead community. And tragically is one of a number of fatal stabbings in the North-East in the last year.

“Chronicle Live recently launched our Stop Knives Taking Lives campaign to raise awareness of the sickening problem and to help deter kids from carrying knives.

“The naming of Leighton Amies is important, so other young people can see his young face and see the consequences and outcomes of carrying knives.”