Two British men were on Tuesday found guilty of killing black teenager Stephen Lawrence in southeast London nearly 19 years ago, bringing part closure to a notorious case of racial murder.
Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty on the basis of fresh forensic evidence gathered over four years using the latest technologies. They are to be sentenced Wednesday but others involved in the April 1993 killing are still at large.
The case shook the British legal system with the police forced to take steps to tackle “institutional racism.” The recent murder of Indian student Anuj Bidve in Salford is being treated as a ‘hate crime.’
Black Labour MP David Lammy tweeted after the verdict, “We can’t forget what has just happened in Salford.” Stephen’s mother Doreen Lawrence said racist murders were still taking place in Britain and “police should not use my son’s name to say that we can move on.”