A major suspect in the murder of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence has been named by the Met Police.
Matthew White, who died in 2021 at the age of 50, has been named as the sixth suspect in the Met’s probe, following an investigation by the BBC.
Mr Lawrence was brutally killed in a racist attack by a group of six white teenagers as he waited for a bus in Eltham, south-east London, on the evening of April 22, 1993.
Mr Lawrence, who was 18 at the time, didn’t know his killers and they didn’t know him.
Five men were arrested following the attack. Two of them, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were handed life sentences in 2012 after being found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey.
The other suspects arrested were publicly named as Luke Knight, and brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt.
The information regarding White raises fresh concerns over the Met’s decision to cease its investigation into the murder three years ago.
The BBC investigation revealed White’s stepfather approached a Met detective following the murder, saying he believed a relative of his had been present when Mr Lawrence was killed.
The officer passed this on to the homicide team, but it was two decades before the lead was investigated.
Mr Lawrence’s mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, on Monday slammed the Met and said it was “infuriating” White evaded police, while she called for officers responsible for the failings to be sanctioned.
“The failure to properly investigate a main suspect in a murder case is so grave that it should be met by serious sanctions,” she told the BBC. “Only when police officers lose their jobs can the public have confidence that failure and incompetence will not be tolerated and that change will happen.”
In a statement released on Monday, the Met said White was arrested on two occasions - in 2000 and 2013 - but that prosecutors said on both occasons there was “no realistic prospect of conviction of White for any offence”.
The Met said: “In 2000, White was arrested and interviewed under caution following the receipt of new information from a new witness. He denied any involvement in the murder.
“In May 2005, prosecutors advised that there was no realistic prospect of conviction of White for any offence.
“Following the 2012 convictions of Gary Dobson and David Norris, a seven-year post conviction investigation was undertaken.
“In 2013 it was discovered that in 1993, a Met officer who was not involved in the investigation team sent a message regarding a relative of White who may hold information.
“The relative was not named and was subsequently misidentified. This was a significant and regrettable error. It was not until 2013 that the correct relative was identified and the new information obtained.
“In December 2013, White was arrested for the second time, based on this new information. In October 2014, a further CPS advice file concluded that no further action should be taken.”
White was spoken to by the Met for a final time in February 2020, but the force said there was “insufficient witness or forensic evidence to progress further”, and White died in August 2021.
Later that year, the investigation was placed into and remains in an inactive phase.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said on Monday: “The impact of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and subsequent inquiries continues to be felt throughout policing.
“Unfortunately, too many mistakes were made in the initial investigation and the impact of them continues to be seen.
“On the 30th anniversary of Stephen’s murder, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley apologised for our failings and I repeat that apology today.”
Last month, the Met commissioned a routine forensic review of key evidence, to consider whether cutting-edge scientific techniques could help advance the case.
In 2020, police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced that it had submitted a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether four former police officers,â¯who were in senior roles at various times during the first few weeks of the murder investigation, may have committed criminal offences of misconduct in public office.
