26 June 2023 , 13:56
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Matthew White has been named as the long-unidentified sixth suspect in the Stephen Lawrence murder case.
Stephen, 18, was stabbed to death in April 1993 by a gang in Eltham, South East London in a racially aggravated attack that shook Britain.
His injuries were so catastrophic that he died before reaching hospital just 20 minutes after he was stabbed.
Following years of mishandled police investigations and a damning public inquiry, Gary Dobson, 47, and David Norris, 46, were jailed for life in 2012 after Stephen’s blood and clothing fibres were found on items seized from the men.
Brothers Jamie and Neil Acourt and roofer Luke Knight were also named publicly as suspects in the killing, but have never been convicted of his murder.
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Witnesses have long claimed there was a sixth attacker at the scene of Stephen's death in Eltham, London (PA)
Matthew White, pictured in his younger years, died in 2015 at the age of 50 (BBC)It has long been stated by eyewitnesses that a sixth man took part in the attack - and in a rare move, Metropolitan Police today confirmed that Matthew White, now deceased, had been a key suspect at various stages of the investigation.
The revelations have sparked anger from Stephen's activist mum Baroness Doreen Lawrence, who is now calling for "serious sanctions" against officers who did not push for further investigations into White.
Who was Matthew White?
Matthew White died in 2021 at the age of 50.
Metropolitan Police said today that 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.
The BBC reports he pleaded guilty in 2015 to an attack on a black shop worker near the site of Stephen's murder.
It is claimed that he referenced the murder during the incident, and told the victim he would be "Stephen Lawrenced".
What did he do?
David Norris was convicted of Stephen Lawrence's murder under joint enterprise in 2012 (PA)
Gary Dobson was the other man convicted of murdering black teenager Stephen Lawrence (AFP/Getty Images)According to the BBC, eyewitnesses and family members told police on numerous occasions that he had been involved in the attack on Stephen Lawrence.
When he gave witness statements in 1993 and 1999, White told police that he he was with friends elsewhere in Eltham on the evening when he heard about the stabbing, before later going to Neil and Jamie Acourt's house to inform them of what happened.
Eyewitnesses however reported seeing him alone near the scene just minutes after the murder, contradicting his alibi.
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What did the Met police miss?
The BBC's reports, which will be broadcast in new documentary Stephen Lawrence: The Sixth Suspect at 8.30pm on Monday, suggest the Metropolitan Police missed six different opportunities to build a case against Matthew White over three decades.
One of White's relatives reportedly approached the Met in 1993 with information, but this was incorrectly entered into the police database and the lead was not pursued.
The relative spoke to police again two decades later, where it was claimed White had admitted to them that he was present when the attack took place.
An opportunity to push forward with a conviction was also missed early on when an image of White from a police surveillance camera showed a clear resemblance to a description given by Stephen's friend Duwayne Brooks, who was injured in the same attack.
Stephen as a child (The Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE)
Stephen's mother said she was "not surprised" by police failings over her son's murder (The Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE)In 1997, a lead was again not followed when a different police force reportedly recommended to the Met Police that his role in the attack should be explored. The force then failed to trace White's relative when a witness came forward in 2021.
White was only ever identified as a witness at the trial of Norris and Dobson in 2011, and it emerged that he had been given the name Witness K during police enquiries - despite only giving limited help to the investigation.
Clive Driscoll, a former police officer who brought two of Stephen's killers to justice, said he was told in 2016 not to pursue the remaining suspects despite the urging of a trial judge to pursue him.
White was arrested, but Mr Driscoll says he was made to retire before he could complete the investigation.
The Metropolitan Police commissioner at the time, Cressida Dick, declared the Stephen Lawrence case "inactive" in 2020 and said all lines of inquiry had been followed.
What have police said now?
In a rare disclosure, Metropolitan Police confirmed on Monday that Matthew White had featured in their investigations into the Stephen Lawrence case but that a prosecution had never been secured against him.
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."
What have Stephen's family said?
Baroness Doreen Lawrence has described the latest revelations as 'infuriating' (PA)In a statement released through her solicitor today, Baroness Lawrence said: "What is infuriating about this latest revelation is that the man who is said to have led the murderous attack on my son has evaded justice because of police failures and yet not a single police officer has faced or will ever face action.
"The failure to properly investigate a main suspect in a murder case is so grave that it should be met by serious sanctions.
"Only when police officers lose their jobs can the public have confidence that failure and incompetence will not be tolerated and that change will happen."