High Court Judges Reverse Decision to Name Teenage Murderer

A ruling that permitted the identification of a 15-year-old convicted of murder in Birmingham city centre has been overturned by two High Court judges. Muhammad Hassam Ali, aged 17 and known as Ali, died in hospital hours after he and a friend were followed by two masked males before he was attacked in Victoria Square. One of the youths, who was 15 years old when he was sentenced in November, was detained for life with a minimum term of 13 years for the murder, which occurred on 20 January. An initial judicial decision to lift reporting restrictions protecting his identity was reversed during a hearing held in London. High Court judges, Lord Justice Jeremy Baker and Mr Justice Jay, were informed that the process of deciding whether to name the teenager was “unnecessarily rushed” and that the original judge in the case did not provide sufficient reasons. Ali’s killer, whose identity had not been publicly disclosed pending his appeal against the decision, will now remain anonymous until his 18th birthday. A second 15-year-old, who was standing nearby at the time of the attack, was found guilty of manslaughter and possessing a knife and was sentenced to five years’ detention in secure accommodation.