Four police officers involved in the original Stephen Lawrence murder investigation will not face criminal charges, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was murdered by a group of men in Eltham, south London in April 1993.
The initial investigation failed to bring anyone to justice before two of the men were eventually jailed in 2012. A public inquiry found a string of errors had been made by the police.
The four officers have been investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Announcing the decision, Nick Price, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “Following a referral by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in 2021, the CPS has carefully considered criminal charges against four officers involved in the early stages of the investigation into Stephen’s murder in 1993.
“Charges of misconduct in public office were considered concerning the four officers’ management of the initial six weeks of the murder investigation.
“Having meticulously reviewed substantial amounts of available evidence and material in this complex case, we have decided that no criminal charges will be brought against the four suspects.
“Furthermore, no criminal charges will be brought in relation to a further investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) into allegations of perjury by a suspect who alleged corruption in the initial murder investigation as it also did not meet our legal test for prosecution.
“We understand this may be deeply disappointing for Stephen’s family and friends, and the CPS has offered to meet with close family members to explain our decision in detail.”
Detective Superintendent Ian Crampton, who was senior investigating officer (SIO) for the first four days of the murder investigation; Detective Superintendent Brian Weeden, who took over as the senior investigating officer; Detective Inspector Benjamin Bullock, who acted as deputy; Detective Chief Superintendent William Ilsley, who oversaw the team responsible for the first murder investigation were the officers investigated.
In 1999, the public inquiry led by Sir William Macpherson said the first murder investigation was “marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers”.
IOPC director Sarah Green said: “It was important that we follow all possible lines of inquiry in order to determine whether corruption played a part in the well-documented failings of the original investigation into Stephen’s murder and the attack on Duwayne Brooks.
Last month the BBC named a sixth suspect in the case for the first time, a man called Matthew White - who had died at the age of 50 in 2021.
