Haringey campaigners say Lawrence suspect naming "disturbing"

Matthew White, the sixth suspect in the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993, was finally named publicly this week reports Olivia Opara

A lamp with words 'Metropolitan Police' in white on blue glass — A Haringey campaign group has criticised the Metropolitan Police – (Credit – Met Police)

A Haringey campaign group has published a statement in response to this week’s naming of the sixth suspect in the murder of Stephen Lawrence 30 years ago.

On Monday (June 26th), Matthew White was named as the sixth suspect in the racially motivated murder of the south east London teenager in 1993 following a BBC investigation by Daniel De Simone, who discovered the Met’s failure to identify White through witness accounts and police documents, and uncovered new evidence.

Some of the new evidence showed White in police surveillance photos from 1993 bearing a resemblance to an “unidentified attacker” initially reported in eyewitness accounts.

Five other suspects were originally named during the investigation: Gary Dobson and David Norris, who were eventually sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty in 2012; Luke Knight and brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt were publicly named but not charged

However, mishandling of the case led to White going undetected and the Met later closed the investigation into Lawrence’s death in 2021. White died in 2021, aged 50.

This week, Bennett Obong, chair of the Haringey Independent Stop and Search Monitoring Group – a grassroots organisation working independently of the police – issued a statement in relation to the naming of White:

“It is with real sorrow that we hear that another suspect has been identified and publicly named, too late, in relation to the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The news that Mathew White is now deceased is another crushing blow to the Lawrence family and the wider community. This is especially as he was previously identified by the police but not robustly pursued.

“The struggles for justice by Stephens’s family have been well documented. To hear that due to the deficiencies in the initial murder investigation and the decision of the previous Met Commissioner, Cressida Dick, to stop investigating the case in 2020, a likely perpetrator has gone unpunished, is deeply disturbing.

“Across London we have seen the death and serious injury of too many of our Black brothers and sisters for all too long. In Haringey this has included Cynthia Jarrett in 1985, sparking the riots on Broadwater Farm, Mark Duggan, 2011, sparking widespread protests in 2011, Jermaine Baker – an unarmed man, shot dead by police in 2015 and more recently Jordan Walker Brown, who was chased and tasered resulting in him being paralysed, to name but a few.

“The Casey Report highlights major failings in Met policing behaviours, attitudes, and culture. We are aware that the new Commissioner is making step changes through his Turnaround Plan 2023 -2025, and many will say that these were historic wrongdoings. But, the level of trust and confidence in current policing across London is exceedingly low and this latest revelation in relation to failings in the Stephen Lawrence investigation is only going to reduce that further.

“We know that there are real efforts for change being made across our borough, but this is currently doing little to instill confidence. We know there are good officers working hard in the borough, but their work is and will always be measured by those that perform badly, treat our young people as adults, use force excessively and have little understanding of the impact of mental health issues.

“The protest that took place at the recent reopening of Tottenham Police Station is a clear illustration of the strength of community concerns, mistrust, and anger. We know there is a great deal to do to change this perspective and communities will say they are tired of the usual rhetoric.

“We continue to work with the police to help make improvements to local policing and to continue to hold them accountable for what takes place in our borough for the benefit of all our communities.”

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