A teenager cleared of lying to police over the fatal stabbing of a grammar school pupil has lost a High Court bid to protect his identity.
Identified only as "Boy B", he went on trial last year alongside Joshua Molnar after the death of their friend Yousef Makki in Hale Barns, Cheshire, on March 2 2019.
He turned 18 last week but wanted to extend his anonymity until the end of his education in November 2021.
Giving judgment in London on Tuesday Mrs Justice Steyn dismissed the application, saying it was justified by "public interest in open justice".
Yousef, a 17-year-old who had won a scholarship to the £12,000-a-year Manchester Grammar School, was knifed in the heart by Joshua Molnar, now 18, during a fight.
Molnar was cleared of murder and manslaughter after a trial at Manchester Crown Court in July, telling the jury he acted in self-defence after Yousef pulled a knife on him.
He admitted possession of a knife and perverting the course of justice by initially lying to police, and was given 16 months in custody.
Boy B, then 17, was acquitted of perverting the course of justice. He was given a four-month detention order after admitting possession of a flick knife.
Both he and Molnar were acquitted of conspiracy to commit robbery in the lead-up to Yousef's death.
Boy B's anonymity was set to expire when he turned 18 last Friday, but asked the High Court to protect his identity.
Mrs Justice Steyn ruled that "the curtailment of the claimant's and his family's right to respect for their private and family life is, in my judgment, clearly justified by the compelling public interest in open justice".
However, Boy B cannot yet be named as his lawyers are pursuing an appeal against her decision.
Mrs Justice Steyn said Boy B should not be named until any appeal is determined, as it would "effectively destroy his right to appeal".
In her ruling, the judge said: "The most significant aggravating feature was that (Boy B) bought the knife with which Yousef was killed."
She said possession of a knife "is a serious offence and there is a strong public interest in knowing the identity of those who commit serious offences".
Mrs Justice Steyn found that "the prospect of being named in court, with the accompanying disgrace, is a powerful deterrent" to others.
She added: "There is an important public interest in understanding the prevalence of knife crime. Such understanding depends, at least in part, on knowing who is committing such crimes."
Boy B's anonymity will continue for another 14 days, so his lawyers are able to take the case to the Court of Appeal.
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