Stephen Lawrence mourners mark ten year anniversary

Hundreds of people of came together yesterday at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square to mark the ten-year anniversary of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence.

Ten years ago on April 22 a gang of white youths stabbed Stephen, 18, at a southeast London bus stop for no reason other than the colour of his skin.

His parents, ignored for years, fought a gruelling battle to have the Metropolitan Police Service held to account for their mistakes and win promises of change from the government.

The killers still walk free after a bungled police investigation, labelled "institutionally racist" by a public inquiry.

His murder and the inquiry were a watershed for race relations in the UK and a catalyst for much needed change in the criminal justice system and beyond.

Speaking yesterday the UK Home Office Minister Lord Falconer said the determination of Stephen's family to demand justice "shone a light on our criminal justice system that can never be put out".

“As a Government we have committed ourselves to changes and have acted on that commitment. Setting up the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and implementing the bulk of its recommendations, introducing the Race Relations (Amendment) Act - the most far-reaching reform of race law in Britain for 30 years, and actively promoting the change of culture, which the light showed was needed," he said.

Lord Falconer said the test of progress had to be whether black and minority ethnic communities could have confidence that if another such crime happened today the criminal justice system would respond differently.

Lord Falconer added: "There is clearly more work to do. Another tragic case, the murder of Damilola Taylor, provided us with a vivid reminder of the need to continue to improve the system. Another mother and father who suffered the double blow of losing their son and then being denied justice.

Paying tribute to the Lawrence family Lord Falconer added: "Their service to our nation has been immense. Our obligation to them is equally large. There will be no let up in our commitment to drive through the changes still needed to deliver a fair, effective and transparent criminal justice system in which all sections of our community can have confidence."

Meanwhile in a message read to the congregation, British Prime Minister Tony Blair praised their campaign: "They have worked tirelessly to improve race relations in this country and to ensure our society learns the lessons from the senseless murder of their talented son, Stephen."

(AMcE)