A Black British teenager was murdered in a racist attack in southeast London.
Updated 20 Aug 2026
Stephen Lawrence, an 18-year-old Black British student, was waiting for a bus in Eltham on 22 April 1993 when a group of white youths attacked and fatally stabbed him. [1]
The first investigation failed to secure convictions. The Macpherson Inquiry found institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police, and two men were convicted of murder in 2012. [2]
6 sourced milestones
Major events in the case, shown in chronological order.
The 18-year-old student was attacked and fatally stabbed by a group of white youths while waiting for a bus in Eltham, London.
Source: UK Government ↗The Crown Prosecution Service declined to prosecute on the available evidence, and a later private prosecution brought by Stephen's family ended without convictions.
Source: UK Parliament House of Commons Library ↗A public inquiry reviewed the failed police investigation and concluded that institutional racism affected the Metropolitan Police response.
Source: UK Government ↗A cold-case review found microscopic blood, fibre, and hair evidence on clothing retained from the original inquiry, allowing prosecutors to bring a new case.
Source: Crown Prosecution Service ↗Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted after the new forensic evidence connected them to Stephen Lawrence's clothing.
Source: Crown Prosecution Service ↗The Metropolitan Police said it had exhausted the remaining identified lines of inquiry, while leaving the case open to significant new information.
Source: UK Parliament House of Commons Library ↗0 videos
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