Last week an old London murder case attracted kilos of public attention. The mainstream Daily Mail dedicated its 20 pages coverage on the day some of the killers were declared guilty. To my knowledge another occasion where this influential paper sacrificed a quarter of its space for such big news was when Diana Princess of Wales died in 1997.
This case of a racially motivated homicide has been going on for 18 years now.

Eltham, an area renowned for racism in South East London was the centre of the slaying.  An 18-year-old A levels student (equivalent to Form Six in East Africa) was stabbed by six white teenagers and died on the spot, due to two five-inch (12.7 centimetres) wounds to his upper abdomen.

Stephen Lawrence (pictured), an architect and a disciplined, talented and ambitious student was trying to catch the bus home with his friend Duwayne Brooks on April 22, 1993. Describing the incident, Brooks who survived (nowadays councillor for Lambeth area, South London) said they heard “What, what Nigger?” then a mob of white youths wielding knives rushed to them. Brooks fled but Stephen Lawrence (a keen athlete and long distance runner) was assaulted for around 10 seconds.

Racism did not end with the attack.

On seeing his friend lying down and bleeding, engineer student Duwayne Brooks, phoned the police who upon a delayed arrival (according to his testimony) began interrogating him as though he was a member of a criminal gang.

Disregarding his potential as a valid witness the police asked wrong questions, did not perform first aid on the dying Stephen Lawrence; generally being careless and nonchalant. Precious time was wasted, the suspects hid crucial evidence and even when arrests were made and the matter brought to court, the horrible onslaught was dismissed. In other words the suspects escaped and to this day only two have been charged despite valid proof that all are guilty.

Recently, Duwayne Brooks released a book Steve and Me- My Friendship with Stephen Lawrence and the Search for Justice  (Abacus, 2003) in which he explains his trauma. “I still find it hard to cope with the way he died. It was like a lynching from the days of slavery,” he writes. He vows to fight to bring all the perpetrators to justice.
Stephen Lawrence’s tragic murder and the messed up case has affected and influenced racial relations and how police deal with racial crime, in the UK.

Several people had approached the police back in 1993 and volunteered information.  Instead of arrests, the police installed hidden videos in some of the suspects’ houses, which have since become crucial testimony.
The youths are shown brandishing knives and uttering: “Every nigger should be chopped up and be left with nothing but stumps.”

There was a climate of fear around Eltham since one of the suspects’ fathers was a known gangster. Witnesses felt intimidated. After two suspended arrests, serious recommendations were made due to the heavily publicised 1999 Sir William Macpherson report. It points out failures of previous police investigations and offers a better way to handle criminal and racist justice in the country.

Due to progress made in forensic science two of the gang members were brought to court last year and subsequently sentenced a week ago. Victory would not have been possible if the ancient law of “double jeopardy” had not been reviewed. Double jeopardy forbids a defendant being tried twice after a conviction. Since the suspects had been declared non guilty it would have been impossible to try them again in countries where “double jeopardy” functions, e.g. USA, Holland, India, Pakistan, Japan etc.

 As 18 years dragged on, the parents of Stephen Lawrence, (Doreen and Neville), divorced due to the stress – casualties of this unfair saga. Neville Lawrence, the father, so fed up, moved back to Jamaica.

Last week, David Norris (whose dad is said to be a feared gangster) and Gary Dobson were sentenced to 14 and 15 years in prison, respectively, a lenient sentence because they were teenagers at the time of murder. “The fact that they only got 15 years for being rewarded for being young and committing a crime means black people cannot get justice,” said Lee Jasper, a respected community leader.

The Eltham racist pack has never expressed remorse for the murder and four other suspects remain at large. On Boxing Day an Indian student, Anuj Bidve, was shot point blank while walking with friends in a Manchester suburb. Writing in India’s Daily News and Analysis, on Monday, Prof Gautam Appa wondered if it is safe to send “children to study in the UK” due to such random racist attacks.

Mr Macha is a writer and musician based in London. Blog:   www.freddymacha.blogspot.com

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