Stephen Lawrence killers get life sentence

Two men convicted of killing British teenager Stephen Lawrence have been given life sentences. Gary Dobson will serve a minimum of 15 years and two months while David Norris will serve at least 14 years and three months, the BBC reported. 

The men were convicted on Tuesday for their part in the racist murder of Lawrence on a London street 19 years ago. The crime prompted a massive overhaul of the British criminal justice system.

The sentencing judge, Justice Treacy, called the murder a "terrible, evil crime.”

"A totally innocent 18-year-old youth on the threshold of a promising life was brutally cut down in the street … by a racist, thuggish gang,” the Guardian quoted him as saying. “You were both members of that gang. I have no doubt that you fully subscribed to its views and attitudes."

It was never proved in court which man wielded the knife, the Daily Express reported, but the judge ruled that both men knew a member of their gang was armed and this proved intent to kill. The judge said neither of the men had shown the slightest regret or remorse and had lied repeatedly to the court and the police in the aftermath of the murder.

The first attempt to convict the two men, along with three other youths, was thrown out of court in April 1993 after the evidence of a key witness was called into question. This led to a public inquiry that branded London’s Metropolitan police force “institutionally racist.”

Since then, the family of the murdered teenager have pursued justice. A private prosecution brought by the family was also thrown out of court.

The conviction of Dobson and Norris followed a review of the case in 2007 that found a tiny spot of Lawrence’s blood on Dobson's jacket. A single hair belonging to the teenager was also found on Norris's jeans.

Because the two men were teenagers at the time of the crime, their minimum sentences were shorter than if they had been adults, reported the AP via CBS news.