The judge who allowed the naming of a teenager who killed his teacher yesterday hit back at his critics and insisted that public shaming had a ‘clear deterrent effect.’ Mr Justice Coulson took a swipe at ‘ill-informed commentators’ as he explained why he agreed to a media application to allow 16-year-old Will Cornick to be identified. The judge dismissed defence claims Cornick should be protected under European human rights laws. Jailed: Classroom murderer Will Cornick, 16, left, was allowed to be named after he was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in jail for the murder of his teacher Ann Maguire, 61, right, in front of her class . Cornick was told he must serve a minimum of 20 years for murdering teacher Ann Maguire, 61, in front of her class and warned him he might never be released because he is so dangerous. During a discussion on the BBC’s Newsnight programme on Tuesday critics argued that Cornick’s name should have been kept secret because he will be put at risk and it will hinder his rehabilitation. They said no useful purpose was served by naming the killer – and said the killers of James Bulger, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, also should not have been named. In his written judgement Mr Justice Coulson said he came down ‘firmly on the side of the public interest.’ 'Naming him has a clear deterrent effect': Mr Justice Coulson said identifying Cornick as the killer would also inform the public debate about the issues . He said: ‘In my view, naming him has a clear deterrent effect. Ill-informed commentators may scoff, but those of us involved in the criminal justice system know that deterrence will almost always be a factor in the naming of those involved in offences such as this.’ The judge added: ‘It has to be noted that this is an exceptional case. Public interest has been huge. There are wider issues at stake, such as the safety of teachers, the possibility of American-style security measures in schools, and the dangers of “internet loners” concocting violent fantasies on the internet. ‘I consider that the debate on those issues will be informed by the identification of William Cornick as the killer. ‘That is not least because he cannot be dismissed as the product of a hopeless background or a dysfunctional family. ‘On the contrary, for the reasons already given, he came from a loving and supportive family who have been devastated by what he did.’ David Glen, a barrister representing media organisations including the Daily Mail, had argued criminals who commit ‘serious and detestable’ offences should be publicly identified. Cornick’s barrister Richard Wright, QC, told Leeds Crown Court naming Cornick would be ‘wholly contrary’ to his welfare. Mr Wright said there was a real and immediate danger Cornick would either kill himself or be attacked by other inmates if his identity was known. He argued it would make any prospect of his rehabilitation ‘effectively impossible.’ Fears for the killer’s family was also given as a reason for secrecy, but the judge said Cornick’s supportive parents will continue to help their son ‘whether he is identified or not’ On Newsnight the decision was criticised by a convicted juvenile murderer. Ben Gunn, who served 32 years in prison for murdering a friend, said: ‘I don’t see how it’s of any use, it serves no useful purpose, to put his name and picture in the paper.’ Gunn was 14 when he pleaded guilty to clubbing an 11-year-old friend to death on a bus with the leg of a school desk. Author Blake Morrison, compared the case to that of James Bulger’s killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, about whom he has written extensively. He said: ‘By naming the boy he will be exposed to dangers from other prisoners and of course his family, who are blameless in this, will also be in the public eye. ‘So I honestly don’t see what public interest is being served here by people knowing who this boy is.’ Frances Crook, of the Howard League for Penal Reform wrote in the Guardian: ‘Any judge who claims that it is in the public interest to identify a 16-year-old boy convicted of murder – as happened today to the killer of schoolteacher Ann Maguire – risks giving in to the voracious media and to public voyeurism.’
Mr Justice Coulson takes a swipe at ‘ill-informed commentators’ He said there was 'huge' public interest in naming Ann Maguire's killer . Critics said he was giving into 'voyeurism' and putting Cornick at risk .