The BBC has reported the Metropolitan Police failed to act on admissions by a sixth suspect in the Stephen Lawerence case, Matthew White, that he had a ‘girlfriend’ who was a ‘child’. Despite the Metropolitan police having knowledge of the girl’s age, no further action was ever taken.
The woman in question spoke with the BBC in an interview and says she was never told by the Met about White’s admission and is ‘absolutely disgusted’ to learn about it, saying: ‘I just can’t get over the fact that they would just cover that up.’ The woman says she never felt able enough to make a complaint to police, as her life took a ‘devastating turn’ after she met White as a schoolgirl, which left her feeling like she was not ‘worth anything.’
Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death in Eltham, South London, on 22nd April 1993 in a racially motivated attack. Whilst two men were eventually charged with the murder in 2012, the Met have faced sustained criticism for their failure to adequately investigate the murder of Stephen, which led to several of the perpetrators escaping prosecution.
The Justice Gap reported in June 2023 that White had been identified as the sixth suspect following further inquiry by the BBC. Despite White having been arrested in 2000 and 2013, he was never charged due to insufficient evidence. However, in their latest investigations, the BBC have found documents that suggest the police failed to thoroughly investigate White as a murder suspect back in 2000, despite claims to the contrary. White passed away in August 2021, and the investigation was subsequently closed later that year.
Solicitor Imran Khan KC, who is acting for Stephen’s mother, Baroness Lawrence, in relation to the case, described the BBC’s latest revelations as ‘shocking’ saying the Met ‘cannot be trusted in terms of saying that they did a proper investigation. They show they can’t be trusted in terms of doing any future investigations.’
Despite the conclusion of the Macpherson inquiry in 1999 that the Lawrence murder investigation was ‘marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers,’ it was announced in June of this year that four officers involved would not face prosecution for allegations of misconduct in public office.
In April, it was confirmed that an independent police force would undertake a full review into Stephen’s case. However, the BBC reports that Baroness Lawrence has asked for the review to be passed to a ‘completely independent’ investigation team led by retired detective Clive Driscoll, who achieved the two murder convictions in the case.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who oversees the Met, told the BBC: ‘Far too many mistakes were made in the investigation into Stephen’s Lawrence’s murder and more than three decades after his tragic death it is vital that justice and accountability are delivered.’
The Metropolitan Police has repeated its apology for mistakes made in the initial investigation.
