'Stephen was always creative.
'He had a patient, careful way about him.
'He used to love sitting with his father after school and drawing.'
Thank you so much.
'I think he was about seven when he announced
'that he wanted to be an architect and he stuck with that.'
I'm sure if he was here,
he'd have a few suggestions and corrections for you, David.
Neville. Been waiting long?
13 years...
and counting.
When my son was murdered,
the police thought, "Just another Black boy stabbed."
But there's no such thing as "Just another Black boy,"
and this building, this centre, will say that much more loudly
than I can.
And the brilliant young people who use this space,
they will be Stephen's living legacy.
My son's killers were identified 13 years ago,
within hours of his murder.
Since then, there's been three investigations,
the law of double jeopardy was changed
so that murderers could be retried,
and still, we're sitting here with no justice.
I understand your frustration, Mr Lawrence,
but after reviewing the evidence,
the CPS did not feel there was a realistic prospect of conviction.
It has been two years since the last investigation concluded
and we still haven't seen any evidence.
We have no way of appraising whether the CPS was justified.
I can assure you it was... No.
No. You can't "assure" me, because...
you're telling me that there's nothing you can do
and I don't accept that.
I think the only way forward is to go to court,
seek a judicial review of this decision.
Mr Lawrence, what I can do
is arrange a review of your son's case.
Who will be doing this review?
Which one of you is the investigating officer?
'Morning.'
It's been cleared out. All we've got to do is hand over these
to the developer...
who's 20 minutes late.
Used to be my nick. Yeah?
Well, it's no longer fit for purpose
in the modern Metropolitan Police Service.
We're surplus to requirements, Shaun, like this old dump.
Except when they've finished here, two-bed flat, half a mil.
This place was supposed to be empty. What IS all this stuff?
These are case files.
Looks like all police property has been properly disposed of (!)
Oh, a patrol car.
Easily missed (!)
The developer.
Better tell him we're not ready.
Sorted.
Records Management will be thrilled.
What the hell is Operation Fishpool?
This is all one case.
Can't be.
SIGHS
Oh. Mm.
Here you go, lovey. Thanks, love.
What are you up to?
Just tidying up some old files from Deptford.
Just some old files?
I know who that is.
Well...
..they were just left there, gathering dust.
Not right, is it? Case like this needs solving.
Mm.
'One officer who stood out,
'and heavily criticised by Macpherson,
'was Detective Sergeant John Davidson.
'He had been responsible for handling vulnerable witnesses
'and arresting and interviewing some of the suspects.
'So you're telling me that key detective
'in the first Lawrence investigation was corrupt, and in the pocket
'of Clifford Norris, father of one of the suspects?'
'From my conversation that I had with John Davidson on that day,
'I would say that John Davidson was receiving cash from Clifford Norris.
'By his expression that he was using it as a...
'He was "getting a little earner" out of it.
'It was "a good little earner".
'Yes, and that, in my mind, was corrupt practices.'
Neil Putnam. Ex-detective for the South-East Crime Squad.
Became a supergrass after getting arrested for corruption himself.
Why now? If he knew what was going on all along,
why didn't he speak up earlier? He says he did.
Claims he told the officers who debriefed him in 1998.
The Metropolitan Police have ceased to amaze me.
It's gonna be broadcast on Wednesday night.
Oh. We'll need to respond, then, won't we?
I mean, surely this throws up new lines of inquiry.
What are the police doing? I'll ask for an update and...
We need the Independent Police Complaints Commission
to investigate. We need to keep up the pressure.
To see Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dick.
If you could just sign here, please?
I'd like to take on the Stephen Lawrence murder.
The case has already been allocated.
With all due respect, Ma'am, the senior investigating officer
is catching cannabis farmers in Newham.
As far as I can see,
young Stephen's been gathering dust for the last three years.
No-one seems to want to touch it with a barge pole.
But you do.
I've been through the files, Ma'am.
It's a straightforward crime that I think we should be able to solve
with a bit of common-sense coppering.
"Common-sense coppering."
Yes, Ma'am.
Right, well, I'll give it some consideration.
Thank you, DCI Driscoll.
The brass have asked us
to reinvestigate the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
The Deputy Assistant Commissioner was quite specific
about this being a review.
I thought we were moving to proactive stuff.
Change of plan. This'll be our priority for the foreseeable.
Seriously, hasn't this case been investigated to death?
You're not wrong there, Tony. This murder has had three investigations,
six senior investigating officers.
It's even had a public inquiry,
and yet, no-one has been held to account for young Stephen's murder,
which means we, the Met, failed to do our job,
and failed in our duty to the Lawrence family.
It is our privilege to be able to put that right.
This is not a whodunnit. We know "whodunnit".
Norris, Dobson, Knight and the Acourt double act
were all named by numerous people within hours of the murder.
What IS a mystery is why, when there were clear grounds for arrest,
the senior detectives at the time waited two weeks to pick 'em up.
Two weeks! When we were in the '90s,
we'd arrest people first, ask questions later.
We'd arrest just for fun. They cocked up, badly.
We won't be marking anyone else's homework.
We'll start from scratch on the basis
we're more than a match for a gang of racist thugs.
So, we're gonna need witnesses. That's you, Birdy.
Tricky, you'll be sorting all the case files.
The clothes of both Stephen and the suspects,
we need Forensics to look at them again.
We're gonna leave no stone unturned, no stone unanalysed,
no stone uncarefully noted and filed.
It's gonna be a slog, so if you don't wanna be here, let me know.
I'll help you get a transfer.
Cos if you don't wanna be here, well...
it's gonna be a nightmare.
Right, any questions?
No, guv. No? Good. Right, let's get to work.
DI Shaun Keep will be the IO. He'll be allocating tasks.
Guv, I'm out.
I'm just a copper at the end of the day.
This is a bit, you know, too...
You know what I mean. No offence.
None taken, Tony, mate.
I appreciate you being straight with me.
Well Hall Road, Eltham.
This is Ground Zero, where the murder took place.
From now on, this happened today.
You've just arrived at the crime scene.
April 22nd, 1993.
Stephen and his friend Duwayne Brooks are waiting for a bus.
Witnesses say they were happy, relaxed,
talking about recent Arsenal signings.
After a few minutes, the bus hasn't arrived,
so they head back down towards the roundabout.
From there, they'd be able to see a bus coming in either direction,
and they could have legged it to whichever came first.
Keep going, Shaun.
Yes, stop there.
So Stephen was about there, where Shaun is now.
Duwayne was here, a bit behind.
Duwayne sees another 286.
Then he hears someone shout racist abuse.
He turns and sees the first of the white boys
running across the road towards him.
Duwayne sees them converge on Stephen, then legs it,
and shouts for Stephen to run.
Witnesses say Stephen was set upon by five or six men.
They bundled on top of him. Stephen is stabbed twice.
The knife, or knives, went five inches into his body.
It was a brief attack, a blur.
When Duwayne looks back, he sees the gang fleeing up Dickson Road.
Stephen is running towards him.
He runs past the stop, trying to catch up with Duwayne.
Duwayne's telling him to run.
He's worried the gang are gonna double back and trap them.
Stephen calls out to his friend, "What's wrong with me?"
He managed to make it 130 yards from the site of the attack.
Incredible, considering the stab wounds
had severed auxiliary arteries and penetrated his right lung.
He collapses heavily on the ground here,
and is unresponsive within seconds.
By now, it's about 10:43.
At 11:05, on arrival at Brook General,
Stephen Lawrence was already dead.
# As I went down In the river to pray
# Studying about that good old way
# And who shall wear
# The starry crown Good Lord, show me the way
# Oh, brothers, let's go down
# Let's go down, come on down
# Oh, brothers, let's go down
# Down in the river to pray
# As I went down In the river to pray
# Studying about that good old way
# And who shall wear The robe and crown
# Good Lord, show me the way
# Oh, sisters, let's go down
# Let's go down, come on down
# Oh, sisters, let's go down
# Down in the river to pray. #
I feel some peace when I'm in Jamaica, you know?
But England?
Every time I come back here,
I just start to feel so angry all over again.
Yeah.
You have a lot to be angry about.
I know.
But it's not a nice way to feel.
We keep you in our prayers, Neville.
I know, and I'm... I'm grateful,
but it's hard to pray when your heart is full of hate.
That's the thing that holds me back from being baptised.
All He asks is that you open your heart.
He'll do the rest.
You know...
after Stephen died, after the first trial collapsed...
..a man came to see me and he said that...
he could take the burden,
told me that if the police couldn't give me justice,
then he could.
Outside the law.
You understand what I'm talking about, yeah?
An eye for an eye.
But Neville...
I told him no, because I knew I didn't want to be like them.
I didn't want hate to consume me.
But when the Lord tells us, "Turn the other cheek"...
..I...
I don't know where to begin with that.
What does it mean to "turn the other cheek..."
..when your son has been murdered?
What does anything mean after that?
Clive. All right, mate?
All right, Bill? Jammy win against Liverpool, that.
Jammy? Nothing jammy about it, mate. Pure artistry.
Listen, commiserations getting that case dumped on you.
Waste of time and money. I don't follow.
Saint Stephen Lawrence.
I mean, what makes him so special, eh?
It's embarrassing how we kowtow to that family,
just for them to slag us off at every opportunity.
Thing is, we didn't finish the job, did we?
I mean, I'd be slagging us off if I was in their shoes.
Case record's a mess, guv.
We're missing witness statements, got blank actions...
Well, if they've made a hash of it, we're never gonna patch it up,
so start it again and start it right.
Well, we've got 540 boxes back there.
That's tens of thousands of documents.
Better get a start on, then, hadn't you, Tricky?
I'll see what we can do.
Maybe we can stretch to another indexer.
There's a few potential witnesses on the estate
we're pretty sure could put the gang near the scene.
Great. Bring 'em in. It's complicated.
Basically, they told us where to go. Keep going.
Well, we've got witness K, right? He knew the suspects.
He said he visited the Acourts on the night of the murder.
He saw Neil Acourt and David Norris in a state of undress,
as if in the process of cleaning themselves.
Perfect.
He wasn't interviewed for another 12 days.
The kid apparently became fearful of reprisals
and has refused to co-operate ever since.
And then, well, there's a pattern. You know, he's a decent witness,
delays in following 'im up, and changes of heart.
We're talking about kids, for Chrissakes.
First priority should be making them feel safe.
Well, as it stands, they don't love us, guv.
What about Stephen's friend, Duwayne Brooks?
Now, he really, really doesn't love us.
He wasn't handled well in the past either,
and now he's wary of us. We're gonna have to reassure him.
Not only is he a witness, he's the second victim.
He's vital. Got it.
What about Mr and Mrs Lawrence? Are we gonna meet with them?
No, they've been through enough.
I'm not going near them till I've actually got some good news.
Thank you so much for coming in, Mrs Lawrence.
I want to acknowledge at the outset
the great injustice your family has endured.
I think it's fair to say your son's case,
and the hard lessons learned from its many failures,
are part of the IPCC's organisational DNA.
I think it would be helpful
if we could clarify the terms of reference of your investigation.
Yes, of course.
The key question we aim to answer
is whether ex-Detective Sergeant John Davidson
had a corrupt relationship with Clifford Norris,
the father of one of the suspects.
We had concerns about the initial investigation from the start.
Rest assured,
we will be going through Davidson's actions with a fine-tooth comb.
My point is, I don't believe the problem was one corrupt detective.
My fear for a long time is that this has been an anti-investigation,
designed to cover up the truth.
"Since the suspects were not arrested
"until at least two weeks after the event,
"I believe that looking at their clothes for fibres
"that could have come from Stephen Lawrence's clothing
"is not worthwhile at all."
'If I was gonna kill myself, do you know what I'd do?
'I'd go and kill every Black cunt, every Paki,
'every copper, every mug...'
Morning.
Surveillance tapes from '94. Just got 'em from the archives.
'Skin the Black cunt alive, mate. Torture him, set him alight.
'I'd blow the two legs and arms off and say, "Go on, swim home now!" '
SIGHS
And this is from the surveillance team.
The whole gang at a christening a week ago.
Look at them. Not a care in the world.
How did they not nail these bastards?
I'll give you one reason. They didn't check their clothes fully.
What do you mean? Forensic Science Service.
They didn't look for fibres from Stephen on the suspects' clothing.
Well, yeah, but it was a brief attack.
Yeah, it says... here, "Brief attack, out in the open,
"chances of forensic exchange vanishingly small."
Who said it was brief? First investigation did.
It was in the original lab request. "Brief attack".
These phrases, someone uses them once,
and they get repeated as if they're gospel.
What does "brief" even mean? What, five seconds, five minutes?
It's hardly precise, is it?
Right, and then there's the 15-day delay
before the suspects' clothing was seized.
The forensic people reckoned any traces would have been lost by then.
If they washed them, but that's a big if.
The clothes might have just been sat at the back of a wardrobe.
They say there's no point checking.
I tell you, if I had a quid for every time a scientist has told me
there's no point doing something I asked them to do,
I'd be able to buy Fulham a new centre forward.
I mean, a small chance isn't no chance, is it?
A small chance is a chance.
We're gonna need fresh eyes on this.
This case has had half a dozen inquiries.
No-one's ever raised concerns
about the conduct of the Forensic Science Service.
Well, there's your trouble.
Look, in '93, the SIO said, "Do everything."
Then the FSS bods come back and say,
"No point doing this, no chance with that, vanishingly small,"
and the SIO says, "OK, forget it. You know best."
It was a brief attack, out in the open.
The most likely reason for them finding nothing
is there was nothing to find.
They didn't even examine the suspects' clothing
for traces from Stephen.
You can't find what you're not looking for.
What are you actually proposing, Clive? I wanna go private.
The FSS didn't do what they were asked last time.
They'll be defensive if they have to go over it again.
Hello. I'm Angela Gallop, strategic lead.
And this is Ed Jarman... Hi.
..one of our forensic scientists. Hello.
DCI Clive Driscoll. DI Shaun King.
First things first, I want you to test for everything,
blood, hair, fibres.
If there's a test or a process out there, I want it done.
Now, you might know full well, "No point testing for this or that,"
but I'm gonna ask you to do it anyway.
There have been huge advances in micro-spectroscopy since the '90s.
That's great, er, but before we get into that,
I'd be grateful if you could sign this memorandum
confirming that the forensic review will be police-led.
I don't think I've ever had to sign one of these before.
No, it's something I came up with.
I'll be carrying the can on this one.
We don't wanna repeat the mistakes of the last forensic investigation.
You were saying about the tests?
Yes. Looking at the FSS reports,
I mean, the obvious omission is a Phadebas press test.
Sorry, that's an alpha-amylase test. Saliva.
Yeah, I mean, like I say, half of what you're doing
will be lost on me, but I want you to do it anyway.
We do need to bear in mind that this was a brief attack.
I don't want to overpromise.
But, as we say, every contact leaves a trace.
Thank you.
Right.
They weren't excited enough.
Seemed keen to get going to me.
It's that "brief attack" line. It lowers expectations.
I mean, he was attacked by five lads, for Chrissakes.
What's brief times five? It's not brief, is it?
We've just got to bring it to life for them.
It's a technical reconstruction, so no need for, er, amateur dramatics.
Shaun here is gonna stand in for one of the attackers.
You all right with that, Theo?
Yeah. Sure. I... remember the case.
Well, I don't remember it, obviously.
I was only a kid.
Yeah. You were, weren't you?
Did I say the wrong thing?
No, it's just that it's been a long wait, hasn't it?
For them.
Right, well, Stephen's body was covered in bruises and abrasions
from being kicked and punched.
There were two stab wounds, both about five inches each,
on the right collarbone and left shoulder.
We're gonna go through each of the witness statements in turn,
work out the consistencies,
and see if we can work out how the injuries fit.
So, you come at him from this direction.
Stephen's hand turns, and as they surround him, he goes under.
Yeah, on your right side.
That matches the position for the entry wound.
Er, witnesses say a punch was thrown,
a kick that didn't land.
Then Stephen tries to wriggle free.
This is when the second stab wound might have been sustained.
No, no, no, overarm, like you're bowling.
Yeah.
Go.
Not long enough. You got through less than half the injuries.
He's got abrasions here, here and here, on the left side.
Then he's got entry wounds on the left and the right,
so, somewhere, he's flipped.
There had to be more blows.
Go.
Good lad.
Are you all right there, Shaun?
Bit warm?
You OK, Theo?
Yeah. Just, you know...
..I just really hope you nail them, guv. That's all.
That wasn't brief.
In anyone's book, that is an intense,
relatively prolonged assault.
Our estimate is 25 to 30 seconds.
The first investigation described it as "a brief attack",
and that's haunted us ever since.
That phrase has been as good as an alibi to the murderers.
There must have been a very large amount of contact, in fact.
And I'm thinking about the attackers' trousers.
Just looking at the video, Stephen was on the ground.
They must have had to kick him to keep him down.
There are so many opportunities for fibre transfer.
And if there were multiple blows after the stabbing,
then there's potential for a lot more droplet dispersal.
And the rips in Stephen's clothing, that's a potential site for... Mm.
This opens up a lot of interesting avenues,
but there's one problem.
The Forensic Science Service.
I told them to send you everything.
Yes, well, they didn't. They withheld their paperwork
on the grounds that they're commercially sensitive.
I will give you 48 hours, then I'm getting a Section 1 warrant
and I'm seizing MY exhibits.
They're civil servants.
You can't get a warrant against the government, can you?
They're interfering with the administration of justice.
I tell you, just trying to make a start on this case
is like pulling teeth. OK. Leave it with me.
Here you go. Thank you.
Hello...
You're not from round here, are you?
Red fibres? Must be from the ambulance blanket.
They're red, aren't they?
Thought of that,
but these are a completely different colour under magnification.
Almost orange. We keep finding more of them on Stephen's outer garments.
What about Stephen's polo shirt? Can you test against that?
The polo shirt was under two other layers.
'I can't see how the fibres could transfer.'
If the test can be done, I want it done.
You were right.
The fibres are microscopically indistinguishable
from Stephen's polo shirt.
So, back to your question - how did they get there?
For Stephen's polo shirt to transfer fibres to the outside of his coat...
they must have had high... "shedability".
Well, I'm not sure that's a word, but yes.
Remarkably high... "shedability".
So those fibres could be...
On anything that touched Stephen's coat.
It certainly helps to know what we're looking for.
So this is it? This is your final report?
Yes.
And while we do not ultimately find
the corruption allegations presented in the documentary
to be credible,
we do make several learning recommendations
to the Metropolitan Police.
But you didn't actually interview Davidson.
As ex-Detective Sergeant Davidson is no longer a serving officer,
we couldn't compel him to co-operate.
At any rate, we were unable to find any documents
to corroborate Mr Putnam's claims.
This was an investigation into police corruption and cover-up.
Surely you wouldn't expect officers to document their own malfeasances.
We found no evidence at all to suggest corruption.
I know this is not the outcome you wanted, Mrs Lawrence,
but I am confident that Putnam was mistaken.
Well, I'm glad you're confident.
Personally, I don't have much confidence in police officers
investigating police officers.
19-year-old French au pair gave a witness statement, but...
Angela.
Your theory of "shedability" was correct.
These were found on Dobson's jacket
and these on Norris's trousers.
Microscopically indistinguishable from Stephen's polo shirt.
You realise this is the first physical evidence
linking any of the suspects with Stephen?
I think we can say your hunch has been vindicated.
So... you're telling me we've got a case?
Yes, I think you do.
I think it's time for us to speak to the family.
'Looking ahead to tomorrow, and that band of low pressure lifts...'
Hi, Mum. Hi, Gina.
Were you working late again last night?
When do you ever relax?
I've got a job to do.
Mum, you need time for yourself, too, you know?
You should think about putting yourself out there more.
I AM out there and busy.
I am! I've got the centre, I've got fundraising
and bursary applications...
Mum, that's not what I mean. I'm talking about... you know.
Well, it's not like I'm hiding away, is it?
I would like to have some company,
but men don't seems to know how to approach me.
Mr Lawrence. Thank you so much for making the time, sir.
All right. You're just in time.
I'm flying back to Jamaica tomorrow,
and I have a school visit this afternoon.
I understand that you've been asked
to carry out some kind of review of my son's case.
Well, given the progress we've made,
it's now a full reinvestigation.
And I wasn't asked. I volunteered, as it happens.
Progress? Yes.
I have to ask you to keep this to yourself,
but we've found new evidence implicating several of the suspects.
What kind of evidence?
Forensic evidence. Fibres from Stephen's clothing
have been found on the suspects' clothing.
Right.
So...
Sorry, I... I wasn't expecting this.
The forensic review is ongoing.
Look, I don't want you to get your hopes up,
but this is the first time we've had actual physical evidence
linking the suspects to your son.
And... And these suspects, you mean the same boys...?
Yes. Four members of the Acourt gang.
Good. That's... good news.
Sorry, I'm not really used to good news.
Well, you've waited a long time.
Too long.
I can only apologise for that.
You say you volunteered to take on my son's case?
I did, sir, yes. Why you do that?
I think a young lad should be able to catch the bus home
without being killed.
I mean, if we can't solve a murder like Stephen's,
what's the point of us?
Just do your best, officer.
That's all we ever ask, you know. Just...
..do your best, for Stephen.
'There's racism in every walk of life.
'Look, we have a candidate for London Mayor, Boris Johnson,
'who talks about "piccaninnies with watermelon smiles".
'That's not banter, that's racism.'
'I think Boris is right.
'This isn't about justice any more, it's politically-correct hysteria.
'We have Jean on the line.'
'I don't know why people give her a platform.
'I mean, it was, what, 15 years ago, almost?
'Can't we move on?'
So what do you think this is about?
Well, they could be about to tell us it's the end of the road.
What do you mean? That they'll close the investigation?
Well, we won't accept that. No, of course not.
Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll
has been leading a review of your son's case,
and I am going to ask him to provide an update.
This is in confidence, of course.
Erm, thank you.
First of all, we reviewed the forensics,
and we believe we've found new evidence
linking Stephen with several suspects.
Er...
Now, obviously, this is not a real person, obviously.
Sorry. Yeah, obv... obviously.
What this is is a distribution of fibres from Stephen's clothing.
Some of the red fibres from his T-shirt
have been found on the clothes of some of the suspects.
And they are definitely from his... Red polo top.
That's the one, ma'am, yes.
So this is... exciting news.
You said "suspects". Who are these suspects?
Oh, yes, sorry.
So far, we've, er, found fibres that link Dobson, Norris
and both the Acourts.
The same names I gave to a detective who was in your shoes in 1993.
The names he didn't even look at.
You know, every few years, I get called into these meetings
to be told about the new leads you're pursuing,
but I gave you leads.
I gave you the names 13 years ago and nothing was done.
Well, that is what we're here to rectify.
But why does it need to be rectified?
Why has it taken 13 years?
Building a case is a complex process. Often, it's...
Ma'am, excuse me. If I may.
Mrs Lawrence, I don't have the answers to all your questions.
Mistakes were made.
Some of the mistakes, I can see how they were made.
There were mistaken assumptions made about the nature of the attack.
I wanna start from scratch and correct those mistakes.
Other mistakes...
I can't explain them.
There were inexcusable errors that meant that we failed
in our duty to your family and to Stephen.
But this is my case now,
and I promise you...
..I won't rest until I arrest your son's killers.
So will you trust me?
Trust has to be earned, Mr Driscoll.
You started off a bit... Yeah.
But she came round.
We'll see.
Got a lot of ground to make up, haven't we?
Well, that was... surprising. Hm.
Bit of a character, isn't he, DCI Driscoll?
What did you think of him?
We'll see.
# My old man said follow the van
# And don't dilly-dally on the way
# Off went the cart With me whole life in it
# I followed on With me old cock linnet
# I dillied and dallied Dallied and dillied
# Lost my way And don't know where to roam
# Well, you can't trust a special Like an old-time copper
# When you can't find Your way home. #
"New state-of-the-art developments in forensic science"?
He told me not to tell nobody, but it's all here.
"Will you trust me?" He actually asked me that.
You know what this is. Same old Met.
What?
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