Stephen Lawrence Case Study

Fact File
Born Died Cause of Death Charge Suspects Convicted Sentence 13th September 1974 22nd April 1993 (aged 18) Blood loss (stab wounds) Murder Gary Dobson, David Norris, Neil Acourt, Jamie Acourt and Luke Knight Gary Dobson and David Norris Life

Background The Stephen Lawrence murder of 1993 was one of the highest profile racial killings in history. The trials, investigations and inquiries that followed led to the police force being noted as institutionally racist, a revoke of the law of Double Jeopardy and the initiation and publication of the MacPherson Report. Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death whilst waiting for a bus on the 22nd April 1993. A group of 5 white teens ran to him and violently stabbed him. Stephen managed to get up and run 120 metres with his friend until he collapsed and died from blood loss. Arrests and Trials 5 Suspect were arrested. Luke Knight and Neil Acourt were charged with murder but these charges were dropped by the CPS due to insufficient evidence. The other suspects were acquitted by a jury at the Old Bailey (Crown Court). In 2005 the Double Jeopardy law changed. Macpherson Report (instigated by the Stephen Lawrence case) recommended that double jeopardy should not be adhered to in murder cases, and that a second trial should be allowed "new and compelling evidence comes to light. These recommendations were included in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and the Double Jeopardy law came into force in April 2005. It meant that murder and certain other indictable

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offences including manslaughter, raped and kidnapping to a second prosecution. There are 2 rules to this though. 1) The retrial must be approved by the DPP 2) The CoA has to agree to quash the first acquittal Dobson and Norris were charged in September 2010. The DPP then had to apply to the Court of Appeal for the original acquittal to be quashed. There was no publicity to any of these events or the trial due to the media influence on the Jury. When the acquittal was quashed the offenders could then be retried under the new Double Jeopardy Law. The retrial was in the Crown Court (Old Bailey) and both Dobson and Norris were found guilty of Murder due to new and compelling evidence. They both received life sentences with a minimum of 15 years and 2 months and 14 years and 3 months respectively. This would have been higher (with sentencing starting at 30 years for the use of a weapon) but, at the time of the vicious, violent and evil incident, the suspects were not 18. Double Jeopardy Without the change to the rule of Double Jeopardy these criminals would not have been prosecuted. However, thanks to the amendments in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 the retrial was allowed. Double Jeopardy is a defence that stops a suspect being retried for the same offence after an acquittal or conviction Article Four of the European Convention on Human Rights does not allow retrials for someone who has been finally acquitted. However, provisions within the convention allow legislation to be passed to allow for re-trials in exceptional circumstances.

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