How long will norris and dobson get

He has always been the most outspoken in protesting his innocence to anyone who would listen. And at times there were many willing to air his denials, from the Tonight programme on ITV, where he was interviewed by the journalist Martin Bashir and insisted he and his friends were "rascals, lovable rogues", to Talk Radio, where he complained his life was "constantly under threat", and blatantly lied: "I swear to you on my mother's life that I am not guilty of this crime.

I am innocent. Until last year, Dobson had managed to stay out of prison — although he had been arrested several times on suspicion of a number of offences, including handling stolen goods, running an illegal immigrant importation racket through a Kent port with the Acourts, and a series of burglaries.

The only offences he had been convicted of were shoplifting and stealing kegs of beer from a pub near Chelmsford, Essex, in , for which he was fined. He was sent to prison for five years, and was still serving his term while on trial for the murder of Lawrence. Seen as the weak link in the gang, Dobson has been pressed several times by the police to turn supergrass. If I did know anything believe me it would come off my chest.

When shown footage of the police surveillance tapes made at his flat in Footscray Road, a year after the killing, which provide graphic illustration of his violent racism, Dobson became uncharacteristically quiet, refusing to make any further comment. One senior police source told the Guardian that repeated attempts to turn Dobson always failed because he would never admit his guilt. Dobson faced trial in , but was formally acquitted by the judge when the identification evidence presented by a traumatised Duwayne Brooks was ruled inadmissible.

At that point he might have thought he would never be brought to justice. Four years later he became a father to a little boy, but his relationship with the mother did not last long — and neither did any belief that he was in the clear.

With a change to the double jeopardy law in , Dobson could be charged again for the Lawrence murder if "new and compelling" evidence came to light, which with the advance of forensic science it did in the form of a microscopic spot of Stephen's blood on the collar of his jacket. Throughout the last six weeks, Dobson has barely exchanged a word in the dock with his long-time friend David Norris. The jury was never told about Norris's past, his conviction for racially aggravated harassment, and the protection provided to him by his father, Clifford Norris, a drug dealer and gangster.

A police intelligence map, seen by the Guardian, put Clifford Norris at the head of a crime group which controlled much of south London's drugs trade in the early s, and presided over criminal associates including members of the Acourt family. He has two daughters. Jamie was on the run in Spain with his brother and was featured in a most wanted campaign back in At the time of his death, aged 18, he was studying A-levels in English, craft, design and technology, and physics at Blackheath Bluecoats Church of England School.

The reason for the killing was given in an inquest as a "completely unprovoked racist attack by five youths". What followed was a years long battle for justice led by Stephen's family and judicial reviews that would expose racism within the Met. In May and June police arrested five suspects and charged two, but the charges were dropped a month later with cops saying Duwayne's ID evidence was unreliable. The following year the CPS again refused to prosecute suspects, despite new evidence being brought forward.

By November , new forensic evidence was being looked at, but it was not until May that the Court of Appeal decided that new evidence was enough for Dobson and Norris to stand trial, and their acquittal to be quashed.

Their trial began in November and by January the two were convicted of murder due to microscopic evidence on their clothes linking them to the killing. Dobson and Norris got life sentences for murder, with the former to be in prison for a minimum of 15 years and two months and the latter for 14 years and three months.

However, DCI Clive Driscoll hopes to see new leads following the new series being aired with the remaining killers still at large. David Norris is from Chislehurst and grew up with a wealthy family — he was years-old at the time of murdering Stephen. Norris claimed he was targeted by three black inmates, who used a knife and a sock full of tin cans. The killer reportedly suffered a broken nose and cuts to his face, as well as black eyes, broken ribs and lasting psychological effects.

Det Ch Insp Clive Driscoll, who was commended by the trial judge for his work on the case, told BBC News the information was currently being evaluated.

Officers from the Lawrence inquiry team will discuss the case at a meeting with senior Scotland Yard officers next week. Passing sentence, 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 Speaking outside court, Stephen Lawrence's mother Doreen said the minimum terms imposed "may be quite low" but she recognised "the judge's hands were tied" and thanked him for his sentencing remarks which acknowledged the stress the family had suffered for 18 years.

Stephen Lawrence's father, Neville, said: "This is only one step in a long, long journey. He thanked the police, the judge and the jury, and called on the pair to "give up" the other people involved in his son's murder. At an earlier media conference on Wednesday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said: "The other people involved in the murder of Stephen Lawrence should not rest easily in their beds.

In his sentencing remarks, which have now been published online, the judge also said he hoped the convictions of Norris and Dobson would "not close the matter", and that police would be alert to further lines of inquiry.

A jury found Dobson and Norris guilty of murder on Tuesday after a six-week trial that hinged on new scientific evidence. BBC correspondents said the press benches were packed for the sentencing, and there was a huge queue for the public gallery.

The hearing was delayed as the courtroom had to be rearranged to allow members of Stephen Lawrence's family to attend, and the judge allowed some journalists to stand.