REMEMBERING THE MURDER OF 19 YEAR OLD STEPHEN LAWRENCE: 20 YEARS LATER (2034 hits)
The mother of a young male murdered 20 years ago in London because his skin was black is still not optimistic about race in the U.K.. Doreen Lawrence, whose son Stephen was killed by 5 racists thugs at a bus stop, said this week she wants more progress.
"When Stephen was killed my whole idea of London changed," Lawrence told reporter Tim Adams of the Observer. "I used to see it through rose-tinted glasses. I had never imagined racism would take anyone's life. I used to talk to Stephen about not getting involved in certain things, but he was always, "Mum, I'm not doing anything!" I think that's how a lot of young black men feel still today.
"But that doesn't stop them being harassed in stop and search, or if they drive a nice car it is always assumed they are drug dealers. That is as true now as it was then. If I ever see anyone stopped on the street, it is invariably still a crowd of white policemen around a young black guy."
Justice slow in Stephen Lawrence murder
On April 22, 1993 in southeast London her son, 18, was guilty of nothing more than waiting for a bus - and the color of his skin - when he was set upon by a gang of white youths who attacked and fatally stabbed him. A friend of Stephen's, Duwayne Brooks, also a young black man, managed to escape.
On Jan. 3rd, 2012 Gary Dobson and David Norris, both now in their mid-30's, were found guilty of the racist murder of Lawrence in London's Old Bailey courtroom, the conviction a result of new-technology and of Doreen and Stephen's Dad, Neville, refusing to give up. There were more attackers that night, at least 3, brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt and Luke Knight, but to date the police have been unable to build a sufficient case against them.
Doreen Lawrence's pessimism comes on the heels of a survey released on race relations in the U.K.. 'British Future's survey' is part of a project called 20 Years On: Stephen Lawrence. The survey shows improvement in race relations since the murder of Lawrence, an excellent student who intended to become an architect. For example a majority now say they'd have no issues with neighbours, managers, medical professionals or political leaders coming from different ethnic backgrounds.
Doreen Lawrence said she sees some improvement in the lives of blacks in London and the U.K. but remains unconvinced.
Corrupt police will be jailed for up to 14 years under new laws brought in following investigation into racist murder of Stephen Lawrence By James Slack Published: 15:12 EST, 10 June 2014 | Updated: 03:10 EST, 11 June 2014
Corrupt police will face up to 14 years in jail under new laws introduced in response to the botched Scotland Yard investigation into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence.
Ministers said dishonest officers would be subject to ‘the full force of the criminal law’ under the proposals, which carry the same maximum sentence as burglary or importing Class B drugs.
The widely-drawn legislation covers officers who threaten to do something - or not do something - for an ‘improper purpose’.
Crucially, it will also apply to police who fail to act because of a friendship or other relationship with a perpetrator – a key allegation in the Lawrence case.
A review by Mark Ellison QC, published in March, into the Metropolitan Police’s original Stephen Lawrence murder investigation in 1993 found evidence to suspect one of the officers in the inquiry team, DS John Davidson, acted corruptly.
Davidson had a relationship with the gangster father of one of Stephen's killers and deliberately stalled the inquiry, it is alleged.
The new offence will also be seen as a further crackdown on police behaviour in the wake of the Plebgate affair, which led to Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell losing his job after a row with police at the gates of Downing Street in 2012.
Police Minister Damian Green said: ‘Where police officers fall short of the high standards we expect of them, it is right that the full force of the criminal law is available to punish and deter acts of corruption by police officers.
‘Corrupt behaviour in the police should be deterred and punished so we can maintain their standing in the eyes of the public and underline the important work done by the overwhelming number of officers across the country.’
Currently, police can be prosecuted under other laws such as misconduct in public office, but ministers believe the specific offence of police corruption will act as an even stronger deterrent.
It will cover cases in which a police officer acts improperly to obtain an advantage for themselves or someone else, or to cause detriment to someone else.
Last week, the Mail revealed how a full probe into Davidson will examine claims he had a corrupt relationship with the gangster father of one of Stephen's killers and deliberately stalled the inquiry.
In police intelligence reports the former detective sergeant was described as having 'no integrity as a police officer' and being 'open to offers from any source if financially viable'.
The Metropolitan Police referred a file on Davidson to the IPCC two months ago after the Ellison report raised questions about his conduct in the days following Stephen's murder.
Since the report was published, a series of Daily Mail investigations has exposed a web of suspected corruption in the Scotland Yard inquiries into the stabbing of Stephen and axe killing of private investigator Daniel Morgan in 1987.
Scotland Yard chiefs believe it would be 'inappropriate' for the force to head the Davidson corruption probe. Instead, it will be carried out by a team of investigators from the IPCC or detectives from a provincial force, supervised by the watchdog. Barrister Mark Ellison's review of the Lawrence case in March found that Davidson may have acted corruptly.
It was claimed he had admitted having a 'corrupt connection' with gangland boss Clifford Norris, the father of David Norris, who was finally convicted of Stephen's murder in 2012 along with Gary Dobson.
The 18-year-old aspiring architect was stabbed to death by a racist white gang in April 1993. Not until 2012 were two of his killers convicted, and then only after a long campaign led by this newspaper to bring them to justice.
