Gary Dobson and David Norris were today found guilty of the murder of Stephen Lawrence in a landmark conviction which has taken 18 years to secure.
The verdict is a hard-won victory for the black teenager's parents Doreen and Neville who have fought tirelessly to see justice for their son, who was 18 when he died.
The guilty verdict is also a tribute to the dogged journalism of the Daily Mail which on February 14, 1997 named five young white men - among them Dobson and Norris - as the murderers.
Today, Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail, described the verdict as a 'glorious day' for the Lawrence family.
And Prime Minister David Cameron also paid tribute to Stephen's parents, who had 'fought tirelessly for justice'.
Duwayne Brooks, who was with Stephen when he was stabbed to death, said tonight that there could not be 'full closure' because all of the killers had not been found guilty.
As the foreman of the jury of four women and eight men announced the guilty verdict, Mr and Mrs Lawrence began to weep.
They had sat separately at the back of the court and kept their composure throughout the case but as the result sank in Mr Lawrence covered his eyes and Mrs Lawrence was handed a handkerchief.
Joy and relief: Stephen Lawrence's mother Doreen Lawrence, with husband Neville (right) and son Stuart (left) speaks to the media outside the Old Bailey but said it was not a cause for celebration
Dobson and Norris, both dressed in grey suits, had stood with their hands behind them as the verdict was delivered.
After Mr Justice Treacy ordered them to be taken down to the cells Dobson called out to the jury: 'You have condemned an innocent man here. I hope you can live with yourselves.'
His mother Pauline called out from the public gallery above: 'He didn't kill that man.'
The only sentence he can pass for murder is life, though It will be down to the judge determine the length of tariff.
Mark Ellison QC, prosecuting, said the law required that Dobson and Norris be sentenced to ‘what would have been the punishment shortly after the crime had been committed’. This means they will be sentenced as juveniles – they were 16 and 17 at the time – and the minimum life tariff for those under 18 is 12 years, rather than 15 for an adult.
However the judge may increase the jail term because the attack was racially motivated and because they realised one of the group might use a knife.
Gary Dobson, left, and David Norris went on trial for the murder of Stephen Lawrence six weeks ago. Both men denied the charge
Victim: Stephen Lawrence, 18, was stabbed twice after he was attacked by a gang of racist white youths in Eltham, South London in 1993;
Mr Ellison revealed that Dobson, who has previous convictions for theft dating from 1993 and 2000, is currently serving a five-year jail term for possession of class B drugs with intent to supply. He had been due for release in August this year.
Norris, whose criminal past includes convictions for driving while disqualified and theft, served a 12-month prison term in 2001 after racially abusing a black police officer.
Stephen Moses, defending Dobson, said his client had come from a 'loving, supportive family' and had no previous convictions at the time of the offence.
He left school with three GCSEs, had taken up an apprenticeship and was studying an IT course at a sixth form college in central London.
Mr Moses said the fatal attack had not been premeditated and there had been no intention to kill.
But the judge said: 'We have seen and heard material about the attitude of Mr Norris and Mr Dobson which suggests to me a mind set prepared to contemplate violence against black people if they were members of a group they happened to come across.
'So whilst this may not have been a premeditated attack on Stephen Lawrence it seems to me premeditation is nonetheless a factor.'
In court: A sketch of Stephen Lawrence's parents Doreen and Neville sitting in close proximity to Gary Dobson and David Norris
A sketch of the packed courtroom as Mr Justice Treacy asked the jury for its verdict;
Brave: The Daily Mail's historic front page of February 14, 1997;
Stephen died after he and his best friend Duwayne Brooks were attacked by a gang of racist youths in Well Hall Road shortly after 10.30pm on April 22, 1993.
In heart-rending evidence to the Old Bailey jury, Mr Brooks described how they were taunted, chased and then attacked.
In heart-rending evidence to the Old Bailey jury, Mr Brooks described how they were taunted, chased and then attacked.
Using new forensic techniques, experts found fibres from the teenager's clothing on this jacket, said to have been found at Dobson's home
Stephen's clothes: This is the LA raiders jacket, that he was wearing on the night he was killing.and his red polo shirt. Sixteen fibres from the A-level student's clothing were said to have been found on items believed to belong to Dobson and Norrie;
Duwayne Brooks pictured arriving in court during the trial. He was Stephen's best friend and described to the Old Bailey how the teenager tried to run away after being attacked but collapsed and died next to a tree;
Memorial: Flowers and tributes are left in Well Hall Road tonight where Stephen died. One bouquet left says 'Justice at last' after Dobson and Norris were found guilty of murder today;
'Mixed with relief is anger': Stephen's mother Doreen says conviction of Dobson and Norris is no reason to celebrate
Stephen's mother Doreen said outside court that mixed with relief was anger that her family had been 'put through 18 years of grief and uncertainty.'
His father Neville, who doesn't live in Britain any more, said he was 'full of joy' and had not been able to rest for 18 years after the killing in South London.
Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Mrs Lawrence said: 'This has been a very difficult time for me and I would like to thank all those people that have expressed kindness and support for me and my family over the last 18 years.
'I would also like to thank the jury for their verdicts today. However, despite these verdicts, today is not a cause for celebration.
'How can I celebrate when my son lies buried? When I cannot see him or speak to him? When will I see him grow up and go to university or get married or have children? These verdicts will not bring my son back.
Relief and anger': Doreen Lawrence speaks to the assembled media outside the Old Bailey today after Dobson and Norris were convicted;
How can I celebrate when I know that this day could have come 18 years ago if the police who were meant to find my son's killers (had not) failed so miserably to do so. These are not a reason to celebrate.
'All I now feel is relief that two of my son's killers have finally been caught and brought to justice; relief that these racist men can no longer think that they can murder a black man and get away with it; relief that despite the defence being able to raise issues of contamination, the jury saw through it.
'I feel relieved that, to some extent, I can move forward with my life.
'But mixed with relief is anger - anger that me and my family were put through 18 years of grief and uncertainty, not knowing if or when we would ever get justice.
'Had the police done their job properly, I would have spent the last 18 years grieving for my son rather than fighting to get his killers to court.
'Anger that despite the police saying that this case was so important to them, the exhibits were treated in such a way the defence could suggest contamination.
'This result shows that the police can do their job properly but only if they want to. I only hope that they have learnt their lesson and don't put any other family through what we have been put through.
'The fact is that racism and racist attacks are still happening in this country and the police should not use my son's name to say that we can move on.
Grief: This is the spot in Well Hall Road, Eltham, South London, where Stephen Lawrence was knifed to death;
'I know that's the fact but I now want people to remember him as a bright, beautiful young man who any parent of whatever background would have been proud of.
'He was a wonderful son and a shining example of what any parent would want in a child. I miss him with a passion. Hopefully now he can rest in peace.'
Neville Lawrence said in a statement read by his lawyer outside court that he was 'full of joy and relief' after the jury found Dobson and Norris guilty.
'My life was torn apart by the senseless murder of my son over 18 years ago. Unfortunately no-one was brought before a court at that time as they should have been.
'The loss itself, together with the lack of justice, have meant that I have not been able to rest all this time. I'm therefore full of joy and relief that today finally two of my son's killers have been convicted for his murder.
'They will be sent to prison and forced to face the consequences of their actions - consequences which my family and I have been living with all these years.
'I would like to thank the police and prosecutors for thier faultless preparation and delivery of the case.
'I would like to thank the judge for the work he has put in to ensure that the suspects had a fair trial. I thank the jury for their careful attention to my son's case day after day and the verdicts they have delivered.
'Something has happened over the last seven weeks - I have watched justice being done. As for me, I'm not sure where I will go from here. I will let this good news sink in for some time.
'However I'm also conscious of the fact that there were five or six attackers that night. I do not think I'll be able to rest until they are all brought to justice.'
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