the stabbing. just to repeat the topline of the story, the developing use. four retired detectives who run that first stephen lawrence murder investigation will not face criminal prosecution for their actions in the case. the bbc has now learnt. just to continue, in 1997 an investigation by the police watchdog had also been critical, but only one of the officers was still serving in the met at that time and therefore unavailable for a disciplinary process. the investigation, which led to the charging decision today, was a spin off from an investigation which started in 2014 into allegations of corruption against another dell or officer who worked on the first stephen lawrence murder investigation. just a reminder, stephen lawrence, aged 18, was murdered in april 1993 in a racist
lawrence, who was aged 18, was murdered in april 1993 in south london in a racist attack by a gang of young white men. just to repeat again, four retired detectives who ran that murder investigation, the first murder investigation, will not face criminal prosecution for their actions in the case. in 1999, a public inquiry said the first lawrence murder investigation was marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers. that report was highly critical of three of the officers for the decision not to make quick arrests. arrests did not take place for two weeks, despite police receiving information implicating four of the prime suspects within 2a hours of
shine. interested parties including the family of stephen were only informed of this decision late morning today. this news only broke this lunchtime. i think we ll get reaction later on today from different people. this is still relatively new. i think family and people have been involved in the case for many years will probably not be surprised by the decision. it doesn t mean that they will be disappointed. but i don t think they will be surprised. there have been three different investigations, inquiries and inquest into this case. no police officer has ever faced criminal charges in relation to the first investigation. an investigation which yesterday was described by the head of the met police is being marred by egregious errors, some of which means evidence was lost, chances were lost forever. daniel, really briefly followers if you will, this murder was april 1993
we aren t to that but we are not stopping there. we have got to look to the long term future. for a convention, new technology, new treatments and that is just as important. the metropolitan police commissioner has admitted the investigation into the murder of stephen lawrence may never make progress because of mistakes made in the inquiry my original inquiry. the police inquiry was said that some of the mistakes were irreparable. stephen lawrence was murdered by a gang in south east london in april 1993 as he made his way home with his friend. five or six men were involved in the attack, but only two of his killers have faced justice. gary dobson and david norris were jailed for life in 2012. last month, the bbc named a sixth suspect in the case, matthew white. two witnesses said he had confessed to being present during the attack.
of stephen lawrence has been identified in a bbc investigation. he is matthew white, who died two years ago. he has never been publicly named before and the bbc has found that the metropolitan police seriously mishandled key evidence related to him. stephen was 18 when he was murdered in a racist attack by a gang of young white men in south london in 1993. two of the original five prime suspects were jailed for the murder in 2012. the other three have not been convicted of the crime. ?our correspondent daniel de simone reports. it s the most notorious racist murder in british history. 30 years on, we reveal disastrous police failures and identify a key suspect for the first time. stephen lawrence was murdered by a gang of young, white men in eltham, south london, in april 1993. the met police did not catch the killers.