Comment: Should We and Can We Protect the Identity of Teenage Murder Suspects?

Published on: 1 Feb, 2026
Updated on: 3 Feb, 2026

Luis Guembes

By Martin Giles

Do you know who has been charged with the murder of a 15-year-old boy, Luis Guembes, in Stoke Park two weeks ago? Do you know which local school the suspects attended?

No?

Then you probably don’t follow social media, because those details have been widely circulated there, despite the law stating that the identities of children suspected of crimes should remain unpublished. The two suspects are aged 15 and 16.

Comment as published on the on Surrey Police Guildford Beat site.

There are advantages to making the identities of all those charged with offences known. After all we pride ourselves on our “open justice” in the UK. One advantage can be that if they are named, someone might be able to come forward with evidence for the prosecution: “I saw him/her minutes before at the scene of the crime.” Or for the defence: “He/she was with me, 29 miles away, when the incident happened. It’ll be on CCTV.”

But lines have to be drawn and interests balanced. And so to protect minors, their identities – even when they are charged with the most serious crimes – are usually subject to reporting restrictions.

Accordingly, if any part of the regulated media, such as The Guildford Dragon NEWS, published the information, it could be held in contempt of court, and, you might say, quite rightly so: do we really want the identities of children made known before they are proven guilty?

Opinion is divided on whether juvenile defendants should have the right to anonymity as these further comments from the Guildford Beat site show.

Judges do sometimes lift restrictions when they feel the public interest outweighs the need for protection but it is unusual for a child to be named during criminal proceedings. Restrictions may, though, be lifted upon conviction.

Although those who publish on social media are subject to the same laws and restrictions as the mainstream media, the police admit it is impossible for them to control social media posts. In this case, The Dragon has been told that the police did manage to get images of those arrested removed from one site, but that is all.

A extract of a letter to parents from the headteacher of the school attended by those who have been charged with the murder of Luis Guembes.

At the local school attended by the two facing charges, pupils and parents have been warned not to gossip or engage in social media on the subject or join in rumour mongering.

That’s sound advice, but are our laws or control of social media really keeping up? When something dramatic happens natural human curiosity will seek information. If it cannot be found in reliable news sources some, many in fact, will look elsewhere. In fact, most younger people say they get their news mainly from social media and rumours always fill a news vacuum.

Wouldn’t it at least help if all those registering for social media accounts have to give evidence of their identity so they could be more easily traced if they break the law?

Inquest

An inquest, opened on January 29 in Woking, has heard that Luis Gabriel Guembes, 15, died in Stoke Park, Guildford on January 19 after he was stabbed in the back of the abdomen.

The stab wound was recorded as Guembes’ provisional cause of death.

The inquest has been adjourned until the conclusion of legal proceedings.

Luis Gabriel Guembes’ identity was confirmed by his mother, the coroner’s court was told.

See: Letter – Reporting Restrictions Are Important – We Must Use Social Media Responsibly