The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has decided not to charge four retired Metropolitan Police officers over their handling of the investigation of Stephen Lawrence’s murder, Sky News understands.
Stephen Lawrence was killed by a gang of five or six racist attackers in southeast London as he made his way home with a friend in April 1993.
Just two of the murderers have faced justice. Gary Dobson and David Norris were jailed for life in 2012 after a trial that relied on tiny traces of forensic evidence.
The CPS had been considering whether or not to charge four former Met detectives with misconduct in public office offences over the failings of the investigation.
But it announced today the officers will not face prosecution.
The decision comes after the head of the Met said the investigation into the 1993 killing may never progress because the original inquiry did “such a bad job”.
Sir Mark Rowley, speaking to the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, admitted errors made by detectives after the murder caused irreparable damage.
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A sixth suspect was named in the case for the first time last month, with details coming to light about the bungled handling of the evidence against him.
Two witnesses said a man called Matthew White had confessed to being present during the attack. He died in August 2021.
