MET CHIEF APOLOGISES TO STEPHEN LAWRENCE’S MOTHER OVER ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ FAILURE
Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, has apologised to the mother of Stephen Lawrence after failing to keep her updated about a potential new development in the case and said an outside force would assess any fresh evidence.
Sir Mark had promised to answer questions stemming from a BBC investigation last year, in which Matthew White was named as a sixth suspect in her son’s murder.
But despite initial correspondence with a senior officer in the Met, Baroness Lawrence said she had heard nothing from the force.
Sir Mark apologised, saying: “On top of the failures over the decades, this is totally unacceptable.”
Following a meeting with Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, he has agreed to let an outside force that commands the confidence of Baroness Lawrence review the Met’s assessment of any new evidence.
Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a gang of racists in Eltham, south-east London, as he ran to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in April 1993. Only two of his killers, Gary Dobson and David Norris, have ever been brought to justice.
The original investigation into his death was hampered by institutional racism in the Met, and there were claims that corrupt officers had sought to protect Norris, whose father Clifford was a notorious drug dealer.
Last June, the BBC named White, who died aged 50 in 2021, and outlined the bungled handling of the evidence against him.
Two witnesses said White had confessed to being present during the attack. One of the witnesses, his stepfather, was not spoken to by police until 20 years after the murder because officers had previously misidentified him.
The Met said White was arrested twice in connection with the murder, but on both occasions there was not enough evidence for a prosecution.
Baroness Lawrence told the BBC: “He’s probably the key one who probably caused Stephen’s murder, and they [the Met] did nothing about it. I’m not sure what they’re hiding behind, why they can’t come and tell me exactly what they knew then.”
Sir Mark said: “We recognise this is a particularly difficult time for the Lawrence family and Duwayne Brooks. I am sorry our failure to respond in a timely fashion has added to this. On top of the failures over the decades, this is totally unacceptable.
“Restoring trust in the Met is one of my top priorities, and that includes how we work with those affected by the failures of the past. I apologise to Baroness Lawrence, who must have answers to all her questions. I have written to her and offered to meet.”
2024-04-22T20:13:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd