Where Stephen Lawrence's murderers are now as new suspect is named
The murder of Stephen Lawrence shook the nation back in 1993 as it revealed the extent of the UK's problem with racism, and highlighted racist attitudes within the police.
On April 22, 18-year-old Stephen was waiting at a bus stop trying to go home with a friend when he was surrounded by six assailants who stabbed him repeatedly before running off, his friend Duwayne Brooks said.
His injuries were so catastrophic that he died before making it to the hospital 20 minutes after the attack, and in the days that followed Stephen's murder, several residents came forward to provide the names of suspects.
Only five men were ever formally identified in connection with the attack - Gary Dobson, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, Luke Knight and David Norris.
Stephen's family tragically endured a long road before seeing any sort of justice, but eventually, 19 years later, Dobson and Norris were jailed for his murder.
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Despite being named as suspects, brothers Jamie and Neil Acourt, alongside Luke Knight, were never convicted of the crime.
The sixth attacker remained unknown, but now a new suspect has been named in the racist murder after police admitted "many mistakes" were made in the initial investigation.
Here we look at who was accused of Stephen's murder and where they are now amid the latest development in the UK's most notorious racist murder.
Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was murdered in a racially motivated attack (PA)
Stephen was from South East London (The Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE)The killers
Gary Dobson
Gary Dobson was 17 when the crime was committed.
He was first arrested on May 7, 1993. Charges were not brought against him at this time.
The Lawrence family launched a private prosecution against Dobson and he was acquitted on April 24, 1996, by a jury.
In the trial, the judge said any identification evidence given by Stephen's friend Duwayne was unreliable.
A cold case review in 2006 Stephen's blood on Dobson's jacket and his hair on Dobson's clothes after using new technology to forensically reexamine all the evidence.
Gary Dobson was sentenced to 15 years and two months for Stephen's murder (Metropolitan Police via Getty Images)Based on this, Dobson was arrested and charged with Stephen's murder on September 8, 2010.
At the time, Dobson was already in prison for drug dealing.
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Since he had been previously acquitted an application was made to the Court of Appeal to quash his original acquittal.
These proceedings were private at the time to ensure a fair hearing. Dobson's acquittal was officially quashed in April 2011, and he was convicted of Stephen's murder and sentenced to 15 years and two months.
He is understood to be serving time in Gartree Prison in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
David Norris
Norris was 16 at the time of Stephen's murder.
He turned himself in to the police in May 1993, but charges were not brought against him at this time.
When Stephen's family launched a private prosecution, charges against Norris were dropped because of a lack of evidence.
In 2002, Norris and Neil Acourt were jailed for 18 months for a racist attack against a plain-clothes black police officer.
David Norris was jailed for 14 years and three months for murdering Stephen (PA)Norris had thrown a drink at the officer from a car and shouted "n*****" while Acourt drove the vehicle at him during the attack in May the previous year, in Eltham, South East London, less than a mile from where Mr Lawrence was murdered.
A cold case review found Stephen's hair on Norris' clothes. This new evidence lead to Norris being charged and convicted for Stephen's murder.
He was jailed for 14 years and three months.
Norris is currently serving time at HMP Dartmoor after being moved from HMP Garth.
The former suspects
Neil Acourt
Neil Acourt was picked out of a lineup and was charged on May 13, 1993.
However, on July 29, 1993, the charges were dropped after the CPS said there was insufficient evidence.
A private prosecution saw Neil Acourt recharged, but he was acquitted of murder by a jury.
Neil Acourt went to jail for his role in heading a gang that moved cannabis resin between London and the North East (Met Police)He along with Norris was jailed for 18 months for a racist attack on an off-duty black police officer in 2002.
In 2018, he went to jail for his role in heading a gang that moved cannabis resin between London and the North East.
He was released in March 2019 after serving less than half of his six-year sentence.
Jamie Acourt
Jamie Acourt was jailed alongside his brother after admitting his role in a cannabis smuggling operation (PA)Jamie Acourt was arrested for the crime on May 7, 1993, but charges were not brought at this time.
He was later charged when the family sought a private prosecution, but they were dropped because of a lack of evidence.
In 2018, he was jailed alongside his brother after admitting his role in a cannabis smuggling operation.
He is still serving time in prison and is not expected to be released before 2027.
Luke Knight
Luke Knight pictured in 2018 (Tim Anderson/Daily Mirror)Luke Knight was first arrested on June 3, 1993, and was charged 20 days later. However, these were dropped by the CPS citing insufficient evidence.
He was charged again following a private prosecution sought by Stephen's family. In April 1996, he was acquitted of murder by a jury.
Knight is the only one of the five who does not have a criminal conviction.
In 2009 he did an interview where he protested his innocence.
He said: "I'm an innocent man. I've done nothing wrong. I'm totally innocent – I wasn't even there [at the murder scene]."
The new suspect - Matthew White
Matthew White died in 2015 at the age of 50The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Matthew White, who died in 2015 at the age of 50, was a major suspect at the time following the killing.
The force made the unusual admission about White on Monday after the BBC identified that key inquiries had been mishandled in the force's initial 1990s investigation.
While five prime suspects were identified in the aftermath, a later public inquiry found there had likely been as many as six attackers based on eyewitness testimony.
Failures during the investigation into White reportedly included officers entering the wrong information about him into a police database when a relative came forward, and the Met not following up a lead when another force recommended that his role in the murder was established.
Both White's relative and another witness also told police that he himself had admitted to taking part in the killing. Police surveillance photos taken of White meanwhile resembled a fair-haired attacker described at the scene by witnesses.
The year before White died, the BBC reports he pleaded guilty to an attack on a black shop worker near the site of Lawrence's murder.
The victim claimed that he had referenced the murder during the incident and told him he would be "Stephen Lawrenced".
Responding to the new claims, the Metropolitan Police said Matthew White first came to their attention as a witness in 1993, and was arrested and interviewed on two occasions in March 2000 and in December 2013.
Files were submitted to prosecutors on two occasions in May 2005 and October 2014, but on both occasions, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advised there was no realistic prospect of conviction of White for any offence.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said: “The impact of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and attack on Duwayne Brooks, and subsequent inquiries, continues to be felt throughout policing.
“Unfortunately, too many mistakes were made in the initial investigation and the impact of them continues to be seen.
“On the 30th anniversary of Stephen’s murder, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised for our failings and I repeat that apology today.”
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