Stephen Lawrence’s friend Duwayne Brooks says he could have identified sixth murder suspect
Stephen Lawrence’s friend, who was with him on the night he was murdered, has said he could have identified the sixth suspect in a line-up if he was given the opportunity.
Duwayne Brooks escaped the fatal attack at the bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993, during which Stephen was stabbed to death.
Mr Books has accused the Metropolitan Police of sabotaging the murder investigation.
He gave evidence that a sixth man was involved in Stephen’s murder, but the identity of the final suspect was not publicly confirmed by the Met until last month.
Mr Brooks told the Sunday Mirror he would have picked out the now-dead Matthew White in a lineup.
White was revealed as the sixth suspect in the murder in an investigation by the BBC last month.
His identity matched the description Brooks had given police of the sixth suspect.
“If they had put him in an ID parade in front of me at the time I would have picked him out 100 per cent,” Mr Brooks said.
“There’s no doubt and I’m extremely confident other people at the bus stop would have picked him out and this case would have been solved then.”
White’s connection to Stephen’s murder was known to police from 1993 but he was deemed a witness by the investigating officers.
He was first arrested over the murder in March 2000 and again in December 2013. On both occasions the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advised there was no realistic prospect of conviction for any offence, the Met said.
Officers also spoke to White as late as 2020, a year before he died, but concluded there was insufficient witness or forensic evidence to progress further.
Mr Brooks said he believes the decision to treat White as a witness and not a suspect was “deliberate” so he would not be included in an ID parade.
“I believe the investigation team were corrupt and made decisions they knew would be fatal to the investigation,” Mr Brooks added.
“Matthew White was placed in the witness bracket when he should have been a suspect. I took part in three or four ID parades and they brought before me every man and his dog, and cat and rat and mouse and hamster.
“But this guy was never put before me. It was a deliberate act of sabotage. He died without having faced court. It’s disappointing. He should have been brought before a jury.”
Only two men have been convicted of Stephen’s murder – Gary Dobson and David Norris. The pair were jailed for life in 2012.
Other than White, the three remaining suspects are brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, who have since served jail time for drug dealing, and Luke Knight, who has remained free. All have denied involvement in Stephen’s murder.
The Met has reiterated its apology for failings in the murder investigation.
In a statement released as White was named as the sixth suspect, the force said: “White first came to our attention as a witness in 1993. He was arrested and interviewed in March 2000 and in December 2013 and a file was submitted to prosecutors in May 2005 and October 2014.
“On both occasions, the CPS advised there was no realistic prospect of conviction of White for any offence.
“In February 2020, White was spoken to again. There was insufficient witness or forensic evidence to progress.”
