The three teenagers responsible for killing 13-year-old Olly Stephens will not have their names revealed to the public, a judge has ruled.

The identities of the two 14-year-old boys convicted of murdering Olly and the 14-year-old girl who lured him to his death will remain anonymous until they turn 18.

Ahead of their sentencing at Reading Crown Court this morning, Judge Heather Norton refused an application made by the media to overturn the restrictions on reporting the names of the schoolchildren.

READ MORE: Olly Stephens: Live updates as teen killers to be sentenced

Judge Heather Norton said: "Restrictions should not be lifted as an additional deterrent or to name and shame.

"Each of the defendants were aged 13 and 14 at the time of the offence and are all 14 now.

"Each of these children are likely to change and mature considerably over their lifetimes.

"I have been told the [older boy] and the [girl] have been making big progress in custody and they have a strong chance of rehabilitation.

"I know a great deal of information has already been published on social media ... but that is not a reason to lift restrictions."

The application was made by the Hyde News and Pictures news agency, and was supported by othermembers of the press.

The court heard today how the defence teams and prosecution were not in favour of lifting the restrictions.

Under Section 45 of the youth justice and criminal evidence act 1999, Judges have the power to impose anonymity orders on anyone aged under 18 for a juvenile ‘concerned in the proceedings’ of a court case.

This means the press are not allowed to disclose any matter relating to the juvenile in any publications while they are under the age of 18 if this matter is likely to lead to members of the public identifying them.

Details including their name, address, school, place of work or images of them are strictly not allowed to be published.

A Section 45 order was imposed before the trial started in the summer.

These orders only cease to apply when the defendants turn 18 or if the Judge lifts the order.

Breaching these restrictions is a criminal offence and can amount to contempt of court.