Stephen Lawrence

Stephen Lawrence (born September 13, 1974 - April 22, 1993 ) was a black British student. He was stabbed to death by several perpetrators for racist motives in 1993 .

Act with a racist background

The British teenager from Eltham , London was stabbed to death at a bus stop on April 22, 1993.

After the initial investigation, five suspects were arrested. They were initially not charged because of the weak evidence. A private lawsuit brought by the victim's family led to the admission of charges against three of the suspects, who were acquitted in the main trial for lack of evidence. During the investigation, it was assumed that the murder may have a racist background and that Stephen Lawrence may have been killed because of the color of his skin. The actions of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service were characterized by racist issues, which in retrospect led to inquiries.

In 1999, a team led by Sir William Macpherson investigated the Metropolitan Police investigation and concluded that it was institutionalized racism and called it "one of the most important moments in modern UK justice".

Lawrence's mother, Doreen Lawrence , devoted herself mainly to the struggle for justice for her son and the social fight against racism. She was a member of various committees and boards of the UK Home Office and the Metropolitan Police Service . In 2013 she was promoted to life peer class as Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon for her services .

Fundamental change in legislation

The case gained great importance in UK lawmaking as it led to the drafting and enactment of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 . Until then, the centuries-old principle of Ne bis in idem (British Double Jeopardy) had been applied extremely strictly in England and Wales , which states that a person may not be charged again for the same crime after a sentence has been passed. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 explicitly added "new and convincing evidence" to the exceptions to this principle for serious crimes.

Two perpetrators convicted and further investigations

On January 3, 2012, two of the alleged five perpetrators were sentenced to minimum sentences of 15 years and two months and 14 years and 3 months, respectively. It was taken into account that the two were still young people at the time of the crime. The 1996 acquittal for one of them could previously be overturned due to the new legislation.

In 2013, the Metropolitan Police opened a new investigation to also prosecute the remaining three suspects. This investigation was closed on August 11, 2020.

proof

• Stephen Lawrence case chronology , PBS Masterpiece Theater
• Bullock cautioned as punishment, The Guardian

bibliography

• Frank Ellis: The Macpherson Report. "Anti-Racist" Hysteria and the Sovietization of the United Kingdom Right Now Press Ltd., London 2001, ISBN 0-9540534-0-0 .
• David G. Green (Ed.): Institutional Racism and the Police. Fact or fiction . The Institute for the Study of Civil Society, London 2000, ISBN 1-903386-06-3 .
• Norman Dennis, George Erdos, Ahmed Al-Shahi: Racist Murder and Pressure Group Politics. The Macpherson Report and the Police . The Institute for the Study of Civil Society, London 2000, ISBN 1-903386-05-5 .
• Brian Cathcart: The Case of Stephen Lawrence . Reprinted with a new postscript. Penguin, London 2000, ISBN 0-14-027905-9 .

Web links

• Macpherson Report
• blink Stephen Lawrence campaign ( March 8, 2008 memento on the Internet Archive )
• Civitas Institutional Racism and The Police - Fact or Fiction? (PDF; 151 kB)
• Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
• Stephen Lawrence case: Key events following the murder of Stephen Lawrence

BBC links

• May 27, 1998 Policeman 'misunderstood law'
• May 28, 1998 Lawrence probe officer 'met parents a year late'
• June 2, 1998 'I'm not corrupt' says Lawrence detective
• July 20, 1998 Lawrence parents urge police chief to quit
• September 2, 1998 Lawrence five set for 'trial by media'
• February 10, 1999 Lawrence suspects 'face new charges'
• February 10, 1999 ITV to screen Lawrence drama
• February 13, 1999 Lawrence investigation 'seriously flawed'
• May 6, 2004 Stephen Lawrence Interview transcript and video of interview
• July 24, 2006 Lawrence police 'missed chance'
• October 13, 2007 'No corruption' in Lawrence case

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Straw Announces Inquiry into Lawrence Murder , BBC News . 1997. Retrieved January 4, 2008. 
2. ↑ Lawrence detective denies claim , BBC News . July 31, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2008. 
3. ↑ The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: Appendix 7, Statement of Neville Lawrence . February 24, 1999. Retrieved June 21, 2009.
4. ↑ Q&A: Stephen Lawrence murder , BBC News . May 5, 2004. Retrieved January 4, 2008. 
5. ↑ Carsten Volkery: Spectacular crime in London: court convicts Lawrence murderer 18 years after the fact. In: Spiegel Online . January 3, 2012, accessed June 10, 2018 . 
6. ↑ John F. Burns , Harvey Morris: Guilty Verdicts in 1993 Racial Murder Case That Changed Justice in Britain ( English ) In: Print edition January 4, 2012, p. A8 of the New York Edition . New York Times. January 3, 2012. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved on January 4, 2012.
7. ^ Paul Peachey: The moment Doreen Lawrence's 19-year wait for justice ended ( English ) The Independent. January 4, 2012. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved on January 4, 2012.
8. ↑ London police halt probe into 1993 murder of Black teenager that exposed racism in ranks. In: Reuters. August 11, 2020, accessed on August 11, 2020 .