Stephen Lawrence suspects to face murder trial

ELN: Two men are to stand trial over the murder of Stephen Lawrence.Gary Dobson, 35, and David Norris, 34, are accused of killing the black teenager at an Eltham bus stop in south-east London. On 22 April 1993, a gang attacked Lawrence, stabbing him twice in the torso in an unprovoked attack. The teenager tried to flee but collapsed on the pavement and died shortly after.Both men will stand trial at the Old Bailey later this year.Nobody has been convicted of the crime, but a small team of Scotland Yard detectives have continued investigating the 18-year-old’s death.David Norris was charged with the murder of Stephen Lawrence on 8 September 2010. Dobson was acquitted of Lawrence’s murder in 1996 after a private prosecution brought by the Lawrence family fell apart in court. He was recharged with the allegation of murder on 8 September 2010.
The Stephen Lawrence case sparked a public outcry after police failed to prosecute the suspected killers and a report later accused officers of “institutional racism” and incompetence. Following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, on 23 October 2010, the Court of Appeal has quashed the acquittal of Gary Dobson and ordered a retrial.  In a statement the Met Police and Crown Prosecution said: “The Metropolitan Police Service and the Crown Prosecution Service have worked tirelessly with forensic scientists to review the evidence in this case. “A full forensic review was commenced in June 2006. New scientific evidence was found and on that basis the prosecution applied for a retrial.  The Met Police and CPS have welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision. “Our thoughts at this stage go to Stephen’s family, who have never given up their quest to see justice for Stephen.” “The murder of Stephen Lawrence, a young black man of great promise, targeted and killed by a group of white youths just because of the colour of his skin, was indeed a calamitous crime,” the Appeal Court judges said.
Lawrence’s mother Doreen said she was “really pleased” by the latest judgement.
“It has been a long time in coming, but we still have a long way to go. All I can think about is Stephen and that perhaps, somewhere down the line we will finally