'Please come forward,' Stephen Lawrence's mum says to witnesses as review begins

An official inquiry, triggered by a BBC investigation, has prompted Stephen Lawrence’s mother to plead with witnesses to come forward with information about her son’s murder.

Baroness Doreen Lawrence told BBC News this may be the “last chance” to achieve complete justice, adding that she cannot begin to grieve until it is secured.

Investigators from the College of Policing are reviewing material previously obtained by the Metropolitan Police to establish whether there are any missed or unresolved lines of inquiry. The College confirmed in a statement that the review is being carried out independently of the Met.

‘The last chance for complete justice’

Baroness Lawrence urged anyone who has information but remained silent in the past to speak up now.

“This is going to be the last chance for us to get the complete justice that Stephen so richly deserves,” she said. “I would like to ask them — whatever they felt at the time, or whatever happened if they tried to assist — please come forward now.”

Her appeal follows BBC reporting which publicly identified a sixth suspect in the killing and exposed a series of police failings. In response, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised to Baroness Lawrence for the force’s repeated failures and breaches of trust.

Negotiations over the scope of the new inquiry were lengthy. The Met abandoned several demands opposed by the Lawrence family, including excluding Clive Driscoll — the former detective who secured two convictions in the case but was forced into retirement in 2014 before he could complete his work. The new inquiry will instead be led by a recently retired senior officer from outside the Met.

The team will assess whether opportunities were missed, neglected, or require renewed investigation. The BBC’s findings will form a central focus, and any viable new lines of inquiry will be passed to an independent body.

A case that exposed institutional racism

Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was stabbed to death in a racist attack while waiting for a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in Eltham, south London, in April 1993. Six attackers were involved.

The Met’s failure to properly investigate the five prime suspects led to a landmark public inquiry which branded the force “institutionally racist”. In 2012, two of the killers were convicted, but the others have never been brought to justice. In 2020, the Met announced the murder investigation was effectively closed, saying all possible lines had been exhausted.

Baroness Lawrence told the BBC she believes key suspects — brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt — have been “sitting quite comfortably” and that police behaviour had encouraged them to feel “untouchable”. The brothers have never admitted involvement.

A sixth suspect, Matthew White, who died in 2021, was identified by the BBC two years ago. His case revealed a series of Met failures and miscommunications, and evidence linked to him also implicated the principal suspects.

“It’s been going on for 32 years and we still haven’t reached the end of it,” Baroness Lawrence said. “Most people have been able to grieve in private. We haven’t been given that opportunity.”

Next steps

The College of Policing said its objective is to identify any credible opportunities which could finally lead to the arrest and conviction of those still responsible for Stephen’s murder. The review is being led by an experienced investigator from outside the Met.