The detective who brought two of Stephen Lawrence’s killers to justice says the pursuit of the remaining murderers should be stripped from Scotland Yard and handed over to a new force.
Former DCI Clive Driscoll led the investigation that in 2012 saw David Norris and Gary Dobson convicted of the murder, 19 years after they and a gang of at least three more youths attacked and stabbed Lawrence in a racist attack.
Driscoll, now retired, said he still believed an investigation into the remaining prime suspects – Luke Knight, Neil and Jamie Acourt – should continue. All, including those convicted, deny the murder or any involvement.
The Metropolitan police announced the end of their active hunt for the remaining killers in 2020, believing they had exhausted all leads.
This Saturday is the 30th anniversary of the murder of Lawrence, 18, attacked near a south-east London bus stop. Prejudice and incompetence by the Met helped shield his killers from justice despite the suspects being named to police within hours of the attack.
Driscoll said: “I think there is an opportunity to put that investigation outside the Met. Let another force look at it.”
Driscoll said that Stephen’s parents, Doreen and Neville Lawrence, had no faith in the Met, and nor did the surviving victim of the murderous attack, Duwayne Brooks.
He said the confidence of the key players was crucial: “I can fully understand why Baroness Lawrence and Dr Lawrence, and Duwayne Brooks, don’t want anything to do with the Metropolitan police service at all, and they feel completely let down by them.
“When you have lost the total confidence of the family and some of the witnesses you’ve got to try and find a new solution to progress that case if there was new information.”
He cited the example of Northumbria police taking over a key part of the bungled Met investigation into claims of a VIP paedophile ring. Northumbria uncovered crucial new evidence that turned on its head what the Met had thought. In that case the key complainant was unmasked as a fantasist and liar who had fooled Met detectives, and was later jailed.
In the Lawrence case an early complaint against the Met led to an investigation by the Kent force, which turned up new evidence and overturned claims the Met had made.
Driscoll said: “I would always want the family to be 100% behind, and they would not be with the Met. Maybe the time is right to let another police force have a look at it.”
“The Met shut down the investigation. I don’t know how they would react to new information.”
“If it is going to be moved forward it makes sense someone else looks at it.”
He said pursuing those who were responsible for or had some involvement in Lawrence’s death sent an important message.
“Anybody who’s had a loved one stolen from them would want everybody connected with that facing some kind of a charge,” he said. “There are always opportunities.”
Driscoll and his team of detectives won the confidence of the Lawrences, with Lady Lawrence saying he was the only police officer she trusted. He said the Met had forced him to retire in 2014.
Driscoll said rather than backing him to the hilt, he felt the Met had never been behind the efforts of him and his team.
After the 2012 convictions, trial judge Mr Justice Treacy urged Driscoll and the Met to find the rest of the gang: “The convictions of Gary Dobson and David Norris will not hopefully close the file on this matter. On the evidence before the court, there are still three or four other killers of Stephen Lawrence at large.
“Just as advances in science have brought two people to justice, I hope the Metropolitan police will be alert to future lines of inquiry not only based on advances in science but perhaps also from information from those who have been silent so far, whoever they might be.”
The attack at about 10.30pm on 22 April 1993 started with one of the group of white youths shouting at Stephen and his friend Duwayne Brooks, then rushing towards them.
Brooks ran, but Stephen was caught by the white group, which swallowed him up and he was stabbed twice, in his upper torso.
The group fled leaving the boy who dreamed of being an architect, dying on the pavement. He was pronounced dead by around midnight, his death caused by the loss of blood caused by the stab wounds.
