‘I know who killed Stephen Lawrence’ - Commissioner

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens today insisted he knew who killed black teenager Stephen Lawrence.

Interviewed on BBC Radio Five Live, he told listeners that police would carry on investigating the racist murder in the hope that charges could be brought.

Asked by presenter Nicky Campbell if he knew who killed the 18-year-old, Sir John said unequivocally: ‘‘Yes.’’

He added: ‘‘We will proceed with investigations and see what we can do with that. We certainly haven’t given up on the investigation.’’

Mr Campbell then asked if anyone who had seen media reports of the case would know who was the focus of investigations.

The commissioner replied: ‘‘I think you probably do.’’

Stephen died after being stabbed at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993 by ‘‘a group of white murderers’’ - words used in the official inquiry into the Met’s investigation.

The report by Sir William Macpherson found police had botched the case and were ‘‘institutionally racist’’ in the way they dealt with the investigation and with Stephen’s friend Duwayne Brooks, then 18, who witnessed the attack and was also assaulted.

Neil Acourt, Gary Dobson and Luke Knight were formally acquitted when a private prosecution for murder failed.

The Government intends to scrap double jeopardy - the rule which prevents defendants being tried twice for the same crime - in serious cases like murder.

But it has not confirmed whether the law would be changed retrospectively.

Sir John’s interview suggested he is hopeful that Home Secretary David Blunkett will push for a retrospective change.