Two men to stand trial for Stephen Lawrence murder
By Ian Dunt
Two men are to stand trial for the murder of Stephen Lawrence, 18 years after he was killed.
Gary Dobson and David Norris, one of whom has already stood trial over the crime, will go to court in November.
Judges quashed the acquittal of Mr Dobson, whose lawyers argued that he would not be able to get a fair trial given the amount of media attention he has received since 1993.
“The murder of Stephen Lawrence, a young black man of great promise targeted by white youths because of the colour of his skin, was indeed a calamitous crime,” the judge said.
The killing was a seismic moment in race-relations in the UK, leading to a root-and-branch reform of the police, who were accused of dragging their feet over the death.
Sir William Macpherson’s Inquiry into what happened found the police force was institutionally racist.
