Stephen Lawrence murder: New suspect publicly named

Matthew White, who died in 2021 aged 50, was named after a BBC investigation into the murder which happened in 1993.

Additionally, the BBC found the Met Police had "seriously mishandled key inquiries related to him [White]".

"In response, the Met has taken the almost unprecedented step of naming White as a suspect," BBC News reported.

"Unfortunately, too many mistakes were made in the initial investigation," Scotland Yard said in response.

Scotland Yard has admitted that too many mistakes were made in the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation (Image: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire)

What happened with the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation?

Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racist attack in south-east London in April 1993.

Aged 18 he had waiting for a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in Eltham when he was stabbed to death by a gang of young white men.

The failure of the first police investigation into the murder prompted a landmark public inquiry which concluded the Met was institutionally racist.

David Norris and Gary Dobson were given life sentences for the murder in 2012, whilst three others - Luke Knight and brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt - have not been convicted of the crime.

Scotland Yard made the decision to stop investigating the case in 2020, saying that all identified lines of inquiry had been followed.

What did the BBC look into?

Five prime suspects became widely known after the Stephen Lawrence murder, but the public inquiry said there were "five or six" attackers.

The BBC decided to re-examine the case itself, tracing witnesses, getting sight of police documents, and piecing together 30 years of evidence.

They said: "Our investigation revealed evidence of White's central role in the case. He was initially known publicly as Witness K, granted this alias despite never really co-operating with police. In 2011, he was named publicly for the first time at the trial of Norris and Dobson, but only as a witness."

Their inquiry found that witnesses had said White told them he had been present during the attack on Lawrence, evidence showed his alibi was false and police surveillance photos of White showed a resemblance to witness accounts of an unidentified fair-haired attacker.

The Met Police said on two occasions when White was arrested prosecutors said there wasn't a realistic chance of conviction (Image: PA)

Additionally, it reportedly found that a relative of White tried to speak to the Met after the murder but the lead was not pursued. When the relative did speak to police, 20 years later, they said White had admitted being present during the attack.

The force said the handling of the approach by White's relative in 1993 was "a significant and regrettable error".

It told the BBC that White was arrested twice, in 2000 and 2013, and that files were sent to the Crown Prosecution Service in 2005 and 2014.

However, on both occasions, prosecutors said there was no realistic prospect of conviction.

Former Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll has said the Met should complete the investigation "for its own dignity and sanity".

However, Dr Neville Lawrence, Stephen's father, said any further police inquiry should be conducted by another force.

"They must be able to find a decent police force who could investigate," he told the BBC.