Lawrence’s welcome lengthy jail sentences

Two men found guilty of the 1993 racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in south-east London have been jailed for life. Gary Dobson will serve a minimum of 15 years and two months, and David Norris 14 years and three months.

The pair were sentenced at the Old Bailey under rules in place at the time of the attack and as juveniles because both had been under 18. The judge, Mr Justice Treacy, described the crime as a “murder which scarred the conscience of the nation”.

Dobson, 36, and Norris, 35, were the first people convicted over the fatal attack on Mr. Lawrence by a group of white youths near a bus stop in Eltham on 22 April 1993.

Quite understandably tensions were running high outside of the Old Bailey. Despite of the sentencing restrictions in place due to the fact that both David Norris and Gary Dobson were juveniles at the time of the brutal murder, some campaigners were unhappy with the result. “They should have faced trial as adults as they have been free for eighteen years of their adult lives,” said a friend of the Lawrence’s.

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