THE TRIAL OF two men accused of the murder of Stephen Lawrence 18 years ago has begun at London’s Old Bailey.
Lawrence was stabbed to death while waiting for a bus in Eltham, London in April 1993.
The Guardian reports that jurors at the trial were told to disregard the previous public inquest and public inquiry into the murder, and were forbidden to read up on the case on the internet or through other means.
The men accused of the murder – David Norris and Gary Dobson – deny murdering Lawrence when they were teenagers.
They were charged after another investigation into the murder showed new evidence.
Gary Dobson, along with Neil Acourt and Luke Knight, stood trial in a private murder prosecution brought by Lawrence’s parents in 1996.
During this trial, Dobson was found not guilty.
But in 2003 a law was established that meant double jeopardy no longer applied and people could be retried for the same crime after being found not guilty, if “compelling” new evidence came to light.
The Telegraph says that forensic evidence is at the ‘heart’ of the case.
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