DOUBLE JEAPORDY Flashcards
Stephen lawrence case and double jeapordy
In April 1993, 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racially motivated attack in London. Suspects were identified, but initial charges were dropped due to unreliable evidence. A private prosecution failed in 1996, leading to public outcry. In 1997, an inquest ruled the killing as an “unlawful racist attack.” The Daily Mail named suspects in 1997, and a public inquiry, the Macpherson Report, accused the police of institutional racism in 1999. In 2004, no one was prosecuted due to insufficient evidence. The principle of double jeopardy was scrapped in 2005. In 2011, new forensic evidence led to the trial and conviction of Gary Dobson and David Norris for Stephen’s murder. Reports of police spying on the Lawrence family emerged in 2013. Reviews in 2014 revealed an undercover officer within the family’s camp during investigations. A public inquiry into undercover policing launched in 2015. The Lammy Review in 2017 addressed racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The Undercover Policing Inquiry began in 2020, with Sir John Mitting as the chairman
