College of Policing conducting review into Stephen Lawrence murder investigation
The College of Policing has been commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to conduct a review of the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
The review has now commenced and will examine existing information held by the MPS to determine if there are outstanding relevant lines of inquiry which can be pursued.
It is being conducted independently of the MPS and will be led by an experienced investigator working for the College of Policing.
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding, Director at the College of Policing, said: “Stephen had his whole life ahead of him when he was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack at just 18 years old. We are therefore bringing together a team of leading professionals to undertake an independent review focussing on finding any outstanding lines of enquiry.
“The independent review will be led by an experienced investigator and is committed to establishing whether there are any outstanding opportunities to bring Stephen’s killers to justice.”
Mr Lawrence was 18 when he was murdered during an unprovoked racist attack in South London on April 22, 1993.
An initial investigation by the MPS identified five suspects, who were each arrested by officers and questioned about their involvement in the murder. Following an identification parade, Neil Acourt and Luke Knight were charged with murder but these charges were discontinued at court.
However, in September 1994, the family of Mr Lawrence mounted a private prosecution against the original five suspects in the case. Two years later, in April 1996, Luke Knight, Neil Acourt and Gary Dobson were acquitted when key evidence was declared inadmissible by the judge at the Central Criminal Court. The cases against Jamie Acourt and David Norris were also discontinued.
In 2020, the MPS confirmed that the status of the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence was being changed to ‘inactive’ as all identified lines of inquiry had been completed.