The mother of Stephen Lawrence today listened intently to a graphic account of her son’s murder 18 years ago by five white youths who shouted racist abuse as they stabbed him.
The 18-year-old A-level student was “swallowed up” by the sheer weight of numbers in an unprovoked attack and forced to the ground.
He had been waiting for a bus in Eltham with his friend Duwayne Brooks. Prosecutor Mark Ellison told the Old Bailey the attackers were “a group of like-minded young white men who acted together… reacting as one on seeing two black men”.
He said: “The one that did not manage to run away was forced down and stabbed twice to the torso. The only discernible reason was the colour of his skin.”
The group “shared the same racial animosity”. Stephen’s mother Doreen was in court as the jury was told he staggered 220 yards after being stabbed before collapsing from loss of blood.
Gary Dobson, 36, and David Norris, 35, both of south London, plead not guilty to the murder in April 1993.
The case against them is based on new forensic evidence, the court was told. Mr Ellison said Duwayne managed to escape, shouting “get up and run, Steve”. But Mr Ellison said: “Stephen Lawrence did not manage to get away. The group quickly surrounded him.”
Duwayne told police he heard one of the gang shout “what, what, n****r” as they launched their attack.
Mr Ellison said: “A racist comment was the precursor to a totally unprovoked rushing at them. The group response showed that they had the same racial animosity and motivation and that racist violence of this kind might be the result when they all joined in the attack on the uttering of that racist comment.”
Mrs Lawrence sat with son Stuart close to the dock. Stephen’s father, Neville, left court seconds before Mr Ellison started to address the jury but returned later. Mr Ellison said the attack happened on a Thursday night, as the two teenagers were waiting in Well Hall Road, Eltham, to catch a bus home to Woolwich.
“There was trouble with the buses that night and after waiting for a while at the stop where others were also waiting the two of them walked towards the Well Hall roundabout to see if any buses were coming,” said the QC.
“As they reached the area just beyond the junction with Dickson Road, they turned around and started back towards the bus stop.
“By the time they had reached the zebra crossing there was a group of about five white youths crossing over the Well Hall Road towards them.
“One of the group was heard by Duwayne Brooks to say ‘what, what, n****r’ at the same time the whole group suddenly began to rush towards them.
“A woman at the bus stop also heard something being said by someone in the group but could not make out what it was. Duwayne Brooks turned to Stephen Lawrence and told him to run but the group caught up at the junction of Dickson Road.”
The court heard that even though Duwayne was only a little way ahead of Stephen he managed to escape but Stephen was caught.
Stephen managed to run about 220 yards after he was stabbed. Mr Ellison said: “Although as we know by now he was mortally wounded, Stephen Lawrence was able to run some way up Well Hall Road and join Duwayne Brooks.
“He couldn’t, however, keep up with Duwayne Brooks and having run what was later measured to be around 220 yards or metres from where he was stabbed, he collapsed on the pavement … never to get up again.” Mr Ellison told the court that the group who attacked him had acted “as one”.
He said: “This group, we allege, looking at the eyewitness evidence, had acted essentially as one.
“The stab wounds were inflicted and then they had decamped as one up Dickson Road.”
Mr Brooks called 999 from a call box before trying to get help from passers by. A couple who were walking and an off-duty police officer driving with his wife stopped to try to help.
But by that point Stephen was showing no signs of life and he died later in hospital from loss of blood.
Mr Ellison said that none of the eyewitness had been able to identify the attackers but now there was new scientific evidence which came to light as a result of a cold case review that started in 2007.
Earlier the judge had warned the jury that they should ignore anything they may have seen on last week’s TV drama The Jury.
“That is not real life and how we work in this court, please adhere to the instructions I have given you and I am sure you are all people of sound common sense and fairness and you will understand fully the instructions I have given to you,” said the judge.
He has banned the 12 jurors from doing any research or inquiries on the internet into the case.
Mr Lawrence and his ex-wife sat feet from the accused as the jury of eight men and four women was sworn in. Only one of the jurors was black.
The case continues.
London Evening Standard