UK: Two Men Guilty of Murdering Black Teenager in Notorious 1993 Attack

January 03, 2012 from Al Jazeera English

A British court has convicted two men of the 1993 murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, a landmark case that exposed "institutional racism" among the London police force and led to a change in law allowing suspects to be tried twice for the same crime. The 18-year-old school student was stabbed to death at a bus stop in southeast London in an unprovoked attack by a gang of five white young men who shouted racist epithets. Gary Dobson, 36, and David Norris, 35, both white men, were found guilty after three days of deliberations by a British jury on Tuesday after a six-week trial that hinged on new scientific evidence presented by prosecutors. They are scheduled for sentencing on Wednesday. Al Jazeera's Simon McGregor-Wood reports.

(more) (less)

In This Video

Murder of Stephen Lawrence

Stephen Lawrence was a Black British man from Eltham, south east London, who was murdered in a racist attack while waiting for a bus on the evening of 22 April 1993. After the initial investigation, five suspects were arrested but not convicted. It was suggested during the cou... Explore this topic

London

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the largest city, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history g... Explore this topic

Racism

Racism is usually defined as views, practices and actions reflecting the belief that humanity is divided into distinct biological groups called races and that members of a certain race share certain attributes which make that group as a whole less desirable, more desirable, in... Explore this topic

Old Bailey

Old Bailey, offiziell Zentraler Strafgerichtshof genannt, ist ein Gerichtsgebäude in London. Das dort tagende Krongericht verhandelt bedeutende Kriminalfälle des Vereinigten Königreiches. Das Gebäude steht an der Stelle des mittelalterlichen Stadttores Newgate und des späteren... Explore this topic

Eltham

Eltham is a district of South East London, England, located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is situated 8.6 miles east south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Explore this topic

Forensic evidence

Forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts". Explore this topic

London Metropolitan Police Service

The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police. The Met also has significant national responsibilities... Explore this topic

Institutional racism

Societal racism is a term which refers to racist attitudes within a Society It also been called Structural racism in that substantial numbers of people from minority backgrounds have been excluded from taking part in social institutions. According to Walter R. Allen in writing... Explore this topic

Also See

Murder of Stephen Lawrence

Gary Dobson

David Norris

Watch Next

1:16

Two More Arrested Over Gruesome London Soldier Slaying

Euronews | May 24

Police probing the brutal killing of a soldier on a London street have raided several addresses and arrested two people on suspicion of conspiracy ...