To most people in Liverpool, he is known only as Boy A.
He is also known as a killer, specifically the killer of 12-year-old Ava White. In November last year, this 14-year-old's actions - fatally stabbing the schoolgirl in the neck in a busy city centre where the Christmas lights were being switched on the same evening, laughing, running away and covering his tracks before taking selfies and playing video games with his friends - shocked the region.
His act of violence was a sad indictment of how far Merseyside still has to go in combatting its problem with knife crime. And while we cannot tell you his name due to legal reasons, we can attempt to piece together the known fragments of Boy A's background which contributed to him becoming a teenage murderer.
READ MORE: Footage shows Ava White murderer 'buying butter for crumpets' after he killed her
While the authorities only began to have serious concerns about the now 15-year-old's behaviour around six months before that tragic night, the roots of his psyche can be traced back to 2015. He was "exposed to violence at a young age", with his mum suffering domestic abuse at the hands of his dad.
Boy A's father was jailed seven years ago, and was "only recently released" from prison. Justice Amanda Yip stated in her sentencing remarks: "You had been close to your father and were upset by the separation - plainly, he did not set a good example to you."
Despite receiving "consistent love" from his mother in the intervening years, by May 2021 he was "out of control". That month, Boy A was arrested over a "serious incident" - during which he was alleged to have assaulted two women.
Then, in July, he received a community resolution notice from Merseyside Police after hitting a police community support officer - the PCSO having asked him and a group of friends to move on from an area. By the following month, it was "suspected that he was being exploited by known criminals".
Sentencing, Justice Yip added: "Professionals saw in you patterns that are often seen in exploited children. There were occasions when you may have been assaulted and humiliated."
The Probation Service "suggested that he may be have been desensitised to criminality, including violence and carrying weapons" as a result of this. Boy A's defence barrister Nick Johnson QC also stated his client had been "exploited by other people on the streets" and began carrying a knife after being the "victim of an incident".
His counsel said on Monday: "The knife was being carried as a consequence of an incident in which he’d been involved as a victim. Before November last year, there was a very real concern he was being exploited by older, more criminally sophisticated people.
"Your ladyship could reasonably give him the benefit of the doubt so far as his motivation for carrying a knife is concerned. It’s not advanced as an excuse.
"This is precisely the sort of area where children of his age need to understand there are very real consequences as a result of making those sorts of very, very bad decisions. His decision to take out the knife, his appalling decision to take it out of his pocket and use it, is one that will blight many people’s lives for a long time to come.
“He’s now beginning to realise that. Of course, it’s all too late."
Boy A also has a documented history of poor mental health, as well as communication issues and ADHD [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. Described as a "particularly immature 14-year-old", he would use a fidget spinner in order to help him concentrate during his trial.
Unhappy at his placement in a special school, he would often go missing from home. Justice Yip commented on the matter: "Your mother repeatedly asked for help.
"I have to take account of the mental difficulties I have described and consider whether they lower your degree of culpability. Of course they cannot begin to excuse what you did, but they probably contributed to your general behaviour and to you making bad decisions both before and on the night.
"You were an immature 14-year-old, and I take account not only of your actual age but also your emotional and developmental age.
"Your past experiences and distorted thinking may have affected the threat you felt. This was an impulsive act where your immaturity, the difficulties which had not been addressed at the time and your past experiences may have affected how you saw the threat of being chased and confronted by Ava."
All accounts have suggested that Boy A's behaviour has improved during his time in custody awaiting trial. Justice Yip said: "Your behaviour since being on remand has been much better. Indeed, for most of the time, it has been very good.
"You have built positive relationships with the staff and are studying for GCSEs. It is a great shame that it has taken this to get your behaviour under control."
Boy A's horrendous crime has another "ripple effect" on his own family, namely that they have had to move away from home. He is said to be "very sorry for the loss and hurt he has caused", despite a "lack of remorse" in the immediate aftermath of Ava's death.
Justice Yip said: "It is encouraging that you are beginning to see the true impact of your actions. There is a better side to your character.
"Hopefully, you can continue the very positive changes you have made since being in the unit. You are getting help with that and will have to continue to work on this with the support of the professionals involved with you."
Boy A's story is a sad tale about the vicious cycle of domestic abuse, gang violence and knife crime. Ava White and her family were ultimately the ones who paid the price.
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