Father of Stephen Lawrence says he forgives his son's killers

Neville Lawrence, 76, said the decision was the hardest he has ever made, and that he struggles to put into words the devastation caused to his family when his first child was killed nearly 25 years ago

Stephen was murdered by a gang of racists in Eltham on April 22, 1993 at the age of 18 and the initial investigation was botched due to incompetence, racism and alleged corruption.

His father said: "The fact that I had to lose my first child has been devastating. I can't begin to explain the pain and the anguish me and my family have suffered over the past 25 years."

He said the decision to forgive Stephen's killers was "the hardest I will ever make in my lifetime", but that he has embraced Christian faith.

Two of the group of up to six thugs who attacked the teenager and his friend Duwayne Brooks, simply because they were black, have been convicted of murder, but the rest have evaded justice.

David Norris and Gary Dobson are both serving life sentences, while three other men who have consistently been accused of the killing but never convicted are Jamie Acourt, 41, from Bexley; his brother Neil Acourt, 42, who uses his mother's maiden name Stuart, and Luke Knight, 41, both from Eltham.

A key moment was when Mr Lawrence and his ex-wife Doreen met Nelson Mandela two weeks after Stephen died.

"When I met him for the first time I was so inspired by his persona and the way he talked to people," Mr Lawrence said.

"He made it clear to us that in his country it was something that they go through every day, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that something like that would happen in a place like Britain.

"Meeting him gave me the courage to do some of the things I have done over the years."

Mr Lawrence and his former wife, who is now Baroness Lawrence, have campaigned for more than two decades to get justice for their son.

The botched case led to a major public inquiry and eventually a change in the law to allow Dobson to be tried twice for murder.

Detectives have admitted their investigation is unlikely to progress without new information.

Former plasterer and decorator Mr Lawrence believes that in death his aspiring architect son has become a "legend".

He said: "There is debate about racism, there are organisations set up to help to make people understand about racism, the police have been put under the spotlight because of Stephen's death.

"When these boys killed my son Stephen, they created a legend. In his death, Stephen is a legend."