1 year ago
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Matthew White was caught connected a constabulary surveillance camera during the archetypal failed probe of the murder
By Daniel De Simone
BBC News
A large fishy successful the Stephen Lawrence execution is publically named contiguous for the archetypal time, aft a BBC investigation.
He is Matthew White, who died successful 2021, aged 50. The BBC has recovered the Met Police earnestly mishandled cardinal inquiries related to him.
In response, the Met has taken the astir unprecedented measurement of naming White arsenic a suspect.
"Unfortunately, excessively galore mistakes were made successful the archetypal investigation," says Scotland Yard.
"The interaction of them continues to beryllium seen," reads the connection from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward.
The execution of Stephen Lawrence 30 years agone is the UK's astir notorious racist killing. The nonaccomplishment of the archetypal constabulary probe prompted a landmark nationalist enquiry which concluded the Met was institutionally racist.
Aged 18, Stephen was stabbed to decease by a pack of young achromatic men successful Eltham, south-east London, successful April 1993. He had been waiting for a autobus with his person Duwayne Brooks.
The evidence against White gathered by the BBC raises questions astir Scotland Yard's 2020 determination to halt investigating the lawsuit and implicates different suspects who stay free.
Image source, Family Handout
Image caption,Stephen Lawrence's execution and the failed probe sparked a landmark nationalist inquiry
Five premier suspects became wide known aft the murder, but the nationalist enquiry said determination were "five oregon six" attackers.
David Norris and Gary Dobson were given beingness sentences for the execution successful 2012. The different 3 - Luke Knight and brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt - person not been convicted of the crime.
The Met Police has consistently said determination were six attackers, arsenic Duwayne Brooks said connected the night.
In 2020, Commissioner Cressida Dick declared the lawsuit "inactive", saying that each identified lines of enquiry had been followed. The commissioner said she had assured Stephen's household that constabulary would analyse immoderate caller information.
The BBC decided to re-examine the lawsuit itself, tracing witnesses, getting show of constabulary documents, and piecing unneurotic 30 years of evidence.
Our probe revealed grounds of White's cardinal relation successful the case. He was initially known publically arsenic Witness K, granted this alias contempt ne'er truly co-operating with police. In 2011, helium was named publically for the archetypal clip astatine the proceedings of Norris and Dobson, but lone arsenic a witness.
But we recovered that witnesses had said White told them helium had been contiguous during the attack, that grounds showed his alibi was false, and that constabulary surveillance photos of White showed a resemblance to eyewitness accounts of an unidentified fair-haired attacker.
The BBC probe reveals:
- A comparative of White tried to talk to the Met aft the murder, but incorrect accusation was entered into the constabulary database and the pb was not pursued. When yet traced by constabulary 20 years later, the comparative said White had admitted being contiguous during the attack
- Another witnesser told constabulary successful 2000 that White had admitted being portion of the attack. The Met again failed to hint White's relative, who could person independently corroborated White's admittance that helium was there
- The Met was asked successful 1997 by different constabulary unit to see whether White could person been contiguous during the execution and past formally told to found his relation successful the case, but this proposal was not decently followed
- White lied to constabulary astir wherever helium had archetypal heard astir the onslaught and his alibi was false, but detectives accepted his claims
- In 1993 White looked similar the salient unidentified attacker described by Stephen's person Duwayne Brooks, but the Met failed to stock the statement with each investigators
- Clive Driscoll, the serviceman who convicted 2 of Stephen's killers, said Cressida Dick suggested successful 2012 helium should not fuss going aft the different suspects, adjacent though the proceedings justice had urged constabulary to prosecute them. Mr Driscoll went connected to apprehension White, but was past made to discontinue earlier helium could implicit his investigation
Responding to the BBC, the Met Police said White was arrested twice, successful 2000 and 2013, and that files were sent to the Crown Prosecution Service successful 2005 and 2014. But connected some occasions prosecutors said determination was nary realistic imaginable of conviction.
The unit said the handling of the attack by White's comparative successful 1993 was "a important and regrettable error".
New grounds astir the execution of Stephen Lawrence, uncovered by BBC investigative reporter, Daniel De Simone.
Lord Sentamu, the erstwhile Archbishop of York and an advisor to the 1998 Macpherson Inquiry into Stephen's murder, told the BBC that "we were misled" due to the fact that of the incorrect accusation connected the constabulary database astir White's relative. It is "absolutely shocking", helium said.
He said the "murder would person been resolved" successful the 1990s had the Met followed leads connected White properly.
He besides revealed Sir William Macpherson, caput of the inquiry, privately asked the Met what was being done to analyse White, but the enquiry did not person an answer.
Former Det Ch Insp Driscoll told the BBC that the grounds showed that White had to beryllium considered arsenic the fair-haired attacker described by witnesses. "Short of a signed confession, I don't cognize what other you'd want," helium said.
He said the Met should implicit the probe "for its ain dignity and sanity".
But Dr Neville Lawrence, Stephen's father, said immoderate further constabulary enquiry should beryllium conducted by different force. "They indispensable beryllium capable to find a decent constabulary unit who could investigate," helium told the BBC.
White's quality astatine the clip of the execution resembled witnesser descriptions of an unidentified attacker
Although Matthew White, a cause user, died the twelvemonth aft the Met stopped investigating, the grounds further implicates the 3 premier suspects who are inactive alive.
The witnesser successful 2000 told constabulary White had admitted to being progressive successful the attack, and that helium had named the Acourt brothers among others who besides took part. The witnesser said White had told him Neil Acourt had "started getting silly with a knife, stabbing and cutting" Stephen, on with David Norris, who was yet convicted of murder.
The BBC recovered Neil Acourt adjacent his location successful south-east England and challenged him implicit White's relationship of the killing. He gave nary reply and fled.
Jamie Acourt besides gave nary effect to the BBC's questions erstwhile we confronted him astir the lawsuit extracurricular City of London Magistrates' Court. He was attending a proceeding related to his nonaccomplishment to wage backmost £90,000, which helium made from conspiring to proviso cannabis.
Watch: Neil and Jamie Acourt confronted
The BBC besides wrote to some brothers and Luke Knight astir the grounds relating to Matthew White, but nary of them responded. All person antecedently denied immoderate involvement.
The twelvemonth earlier his death, White pleaded blameworthy to an onslaught connected a achromatic store idiosyncratic conscionable a fewer 100 metres from wherever Stephen was stabbed to death.
According to the victim, White had repeatedly mentioned the execution lawsuit arsenic helium carried retired the assault. The unfortunate told the BBC that White had said helium would beryllium "Stephen Lawrenced".
The Met said it was atrocious for not telling the unfortunate that White had been charged with assaulting him. He archetypal heard astir the condemnation from the BBC.
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