Murder witness tells of 18-year struggle

THE only witness to the murder of Stephen Lawrence has said that seeing his two killers jailed last week was “worth the struggle” of 18 years of blame and acrimony.

Duwayne Brooks, who is now a Liberal Democrat councillor and bidding to become mayor of Lewisham in south-east London, said the wait for justice had been a long and difficult one.

Gary Dobson, 36, who was already serving a five-year sentence for drug-dealing, was sentenced to at least 15 years and two months at the Old Bailey last Wednesday for the 1993 murder of 18-year-old Mr Lawrence in Eltham, south east London.

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David Norris, 35, was given a minimum of 14 years and three months for the murder, which the judge said was a “terrible and evil crime”.

Mr Brooks said: “For 18 years, I have endured harassment, victimisation, being blamed for the first prosecution failing, being brutalised and having false charges brought against me.

“To see two members of that gang being convicted – for me it was all worth it.”

Meanwhile Mr Lawrence’s father says he has been able to dance for the first time in nearly 19 years since the murder of his son in Eltham.

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Neville Lawrence, reportedly an accomplished jazz, soul and blues dancer, said he had pledged never to dance again until somebody was “doing time” for the 1993 murder of his son.

He described the convictions as a “watershed” moment for him. He said: “It is like you are underwater and holding your breath – when the verdict was read out, ‘guilty’, I could not even believe it, because we had been waiting for so long, it is almost 19 years. Tears just started to roll out of my eyes –the relief.

“One of the things which I have done over the years is to make a promise to myself that I would never dance again until somebody was doing time for the murder of my son. This weekend I was able to dance for the first time in 18 years.”

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