A new suspect has been named in the murder of Stephen Lawrence, sparking a furious response from his mother and renewed calls for officers involved in the case to be sacked for repeatedly bungling the investigation.
White first came to the attention of the police in 1993 as a witness to the attack. He was arrested and interviewed in 2000 and again in 2013 “but the Met reportedly seriously mishandled inquiries related to him”, reported The Independent.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Five men have previously been suspected of carrying out the fatal stabbing in southeast London in April 1993. Two of them, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were handed life sentences in 2012 after being found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey.
However, Duwayne Brooks, who was with Lawrence on the night of his murder, always maintained there was a sixth attacker. Now, thanks to an investigation by the BBC, he is believed to have been identified.
Based on witness testimony, police documents and new evidence “that shows how officers mishandled investigations relating to White”, the BBC’s Daniel De Simone said that “at key moments the police failed to pull together all these pieces of evidence” on the man known publicly as Witness K.
The information regarding White “raises fresh concerns over the Met’s decision to cease its investigation into the murder three years ago”, said the Evening Standard.
Despite a new apology by the Met for its “failings”, the naming of White has prompted a furious reaction from the mother of Stephen Lawrence. Baroness Doreen Lawrence demanded “serious sanctions” against the officers who failed to investigate him.
“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,” she said.
-
Quiz of The Week: 23 – 29 AugustQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Could robotic dogs help clear landmines?Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a new approach to urban renewal? And how much power rests with political spouses?
-
Six major costs to cut as children go back to schoolSchool supplies can be pricey but there are ways to keep costs down
-
What to do if your phone is stolenThe Explainer An average of 180 phones is stolen every day in London, the 'phone-snatching capital of Europe'
-
The Met police's stop and search overhaulThe Explainer More than 8,500 Londoners have helped put together a new charter for the controversial practice
-
Axel Rudakubana: how much did the authorities know about Southport killer?Today's Big Question Nigel Farage accuses PM of a cover-up as release of new details raises 'very serious questions for the state about how it failed to intervene before tragedy struck'
-
Southport knife attack: third child dies of injuriesSpeed Read Taylor Swift shares her condolences after young fans targeted at pop-themed dance class
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motiveSpeed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
-
Scotland Yard, Gaza and the politics of policing protestsTalking Point Met Police accused of 'two-tier policing' by former home secretary as new footage emerges of latest flashpoint
-
Can the Met Police heal its relationship with the Black community?In depth Police chiefs accused of not doing enough to address reported institutional racism
-
Nottingham attacks: was justice served?Talking Point Mother of victim says she was 'foolish to trust legal system' as killer Valdo Calocane is sent to high-security hospital
