Lawrence mother tells of double jeopardy hope

Doreen Lawrence, the mother of the murdered black teenager Stephen, has expressed her hope that plans to repeal the double jeopardy law would see her son's killers brought to justice.

In her first detailed comments on the proposed change, outlined in last month's Criminal Justice White Paper, Mrs Lawrence describes her frustration that Stephen's killers were still "laughing at us because they know they have got away with murder".

Writing in Parliamentary Monitor magazine today, she says: "I would welcome the change in the double jeopardy law so the killers of my son can be brought to justice."

Her remarks follow a warning from Sir William Macpherson of Cluny, the man in charge of the inquiry into Stephen's death, that further evidence would be needed to retry the five men cleared of his murder.

Neil Acourt and David Norris, two of the five suspected of killing Stephen Lawrence, were convicted last week of a racist attack on a black policeman.

Mrs Lawrence said the black community was asking only for a system that was open and fair. "As victims of racism and having been on the receiving end of the weaknesses of the justice system, there is currently no way that we can seek redress once a ruling has been made in court. In our case the judge made a ruling without the evidence being put to the jury."

But she acknowledges the opposition from many in the legal profession and accepts that a jury trying someone charged again would be under intense pressure to convict. "If there is going to be a change in the law to allow defendants to be tried again, where a not-guilty verdict has been passed, then it should only take place where there is clear evidence to justify a retrial."