04/01/2012 BBC News at Ten

The men who murdered Stephen Lawrence are jailed and told their

crimes scarred the conscience of the nation. Gary Dobson is

sentenced to a minimum of 15 years. David Norris, 14 years. For Stephen

Lawrence's mother, the sentence marks a turning point. Today is

where we can look to start moving on and just try to take control of

my life once more. The focus shifts to other suspects in the killing.

The police give them a warning. Other people involved in the murder

of Stephen Lawrence should not rest easily in their beds. We are still

investigating this case. Tonight, the police reveal they've received

new information on the case. Also on the programme: My goodness what

a squeaker, but it sure is nice to have a win. The narrowest of

victories for the man hoping to challenge for the presidency.

The Christmas rush brings mixed fortunes for some of the big High

Street shops. And perfect in miniature, the

offside rule explained on the back of a 50 p. Coming later on

Sportsday: All the action from Newcastle United against Manchester

United, where there have been Good evening. The two men found

guilty of killing the black teenage Stephen Lawrence have been jild for

his murder. Gary Dobson was sentenced to at least 15 years in

prison. David Norris, 14. The sentences reflected the fact the

two were juveniles when they committed the crime. Referring to

the other suspects, the judge said he hoped the police would not close

the file on the murder. Tonight, the police say they've received new

information about the case. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Tom

Symonds reports. For the parents of Stephen Lawrence, justice was

delivered today. But not in its entirity. They welcomed the

sentences, even though they know it's not over yet. These people

have not realised that they've been found out. And it's now going to go

and lay down in their bed and take that they weren't the only ones

responsible for the death of my son. They're going to give up the rest

of the people. The sentences that happened, it may be quite low, but

at the same time the judge's hands were tied. As much as he can do, I

was grateful. David Norris and Gary Dobson are detained at Her

Majesty's pleasure. They won't be released until the late 2020s at

the earliest. The court was packed. Seats given up by barristers for

some of the Lawrence family. When the sentences were handed down,

nothing was said by the convicted men. Though afterwards, there was a

shout from one of their supporters in the public gallery "Shame on all

of you." The judge said: "Totally innocent 18-year-old youth, on the

threshold of a promising life, was brutally cut down in the street in

front of eyewitnesses by a racist, thuggish gang. The pair were

juveniles when they murdered Stephen and when police put them

under surveillance. Under law, the skwudge had to sentence them not as

matture men they are now, but as the teenagers they were in 199. The

sentence could have been as short as 12 years. Extra time was added

because of the racial nature of this case, but the resulting

sentences, 14 and 15 years, are far shorter than the 30 years a modern

adult murderer could have received. The judge also said he hoped the

conviction of Norris, here being interviewed by police, and Dobson,

would not result in the case file being closed. Senior detectives

have told the BBC, in the last 24 hours, new information has come in.

The other people involved in the murder of Stephen Lawrence, should

not rest easily in their beds. We are still investigating this case.

I would like to take this opportunity, if anybody out there

has more information or any evidence, even after all this time,

please tell us. Then we'll dot rest. Nine people remain of interest to

police. They include, Luke Knight, Neil Acourt and his brother Jamie.

They've never been convicted the violence despite a series of

allegations. In 1993 Neil Acourt and David Norris was said to have

attacked a youth. Norris was acquitted, Neil Acourt never

charged. This is Darren Gyles. In 1994, he intervened in a nightclub

row Jamie Acourt was having with his friend. Mr Acourt stabbed

Darren in the health authority. -- heart. My heart stopped for about

12 minutes. There was no oxygen getting to my brain. I don't

remember a thing. I was dead for like 12 minutes basically, you

know? Jamie Acourt, who's refused to speak to the BBC, was acquitted.

A jury decided he acted in self- defence. These incidents don't

provide evidence any of the three men killed Stephen Lawrence. They

all deny that. Police currently have no information to act on.

The Stephen Lawrence case has become one of the most significant

in recent legal history. But what happens next, well, nobody knows.

In court, the judge said Stephen Lawrence's killers were motivated

by racial hatred. His murder and the failures of the initial police

investigation raised stark questions about race relations in

Britain and the treatment of ethnic minorities by the police. Nearly

two decades on, have the police and public attitudes changed? This

report from South London by our Home Editor Mark Easton contains

some racially offensive language. Almost two decades after Stephen

Lawrence's racist murder on the London streets, how much scope for

celebration is there in terms of improved race relations? No-one

actually is born racist... The DJs at Represent radio reflect the

self-confidence of their young, largely black audience in south

London. Do you think the colour of your skin makes much difference to

the way your life goes? I try not to see it like that. I know it

probably does. I've been in situations where I can see in a

person's eyes that there's a judgment, but I think I try and see

that more as self- paranoia than based on anything. Waves of

immigration have shaped diverse neighbourhoods. Communities have

become used to racial difference, but where today, I still found

tension, even prejudice just below the surface. Don't think they was

giplty. Really? Really. Do you think it was a stitch up then?

think there was a stitch up and one little speck. Why was that? I don't

know, because it's a ligger been done innit? Such open prejudice is

to most highly offensive, but also rare. Government abuse found one in

ten people from ethnic minorities think race sift a very or fairly

big problem in their neighbourhood. The relationship between the police

and black people in London is also improved. But a voluntary youth

worker told me tensions still exist I've been stopped and searched

three to four times in one day. It feels like, why is it always me? It

felt like I'm being targeted. 1993 the proportion of met officers

from ethnic minorities was just over 2%. Today it's just under 10%.

The local police chief told me the force has come a long way.

images of life on Mars and that sort of culture did exist, but not

in the way that it's portrayed sometimes around racism. It's more

about our relationship with how we police the diverse communities in

London and how we understand those diverse communities. Racism still

exists in Britain, but in multicultural urban communities,

like south London, it is subtle, hidden and publicly pretty much

unacceptable. What exists is anxiety and hostility towards new

migrants, seen as competitors in the battle for increasingly scarce

public resources. Our children, what are they going to do when they

grow up? They're not going to get a flat and a job if we can't get them

now. Do you blame black people, brown people for that? No I don't.

I blame the Government. Why have they let the immigrants in here.

Australia won't take them, why do we? The majority of people I met on

south London streets thought race relations were pretty good, better

than 20 years ago. No-one argued that Stephen Lawrence's death had

seen prejudice defeated. The race to become the Republican

presidential candidate has started with the narrowest victory for the

former governor of Massachusetts. He finished eight votes ahead of

Rick Santorum. The race now moves on to next Tuesday's vote in New

Hampshire. Our North America Editor Mark Mardell reports from Iowa.

He's celebrating and so is he. Both think they could win the big prize,

the right to fight President Obama for the White House, after a nail-

biting night in the end, just eight votes divided Mitt Romney from Rick

Santorum. But they're worlds apart. Second place is sweet for the

former senator, a Christian conservative, a hard line opponent

of gay marriage and abortion. He's not one to stick to the safe centre.

What wins in America are bold ideas, sharp contrasts and a plan that

includes everyone. Some predict his pun gent views, lack of cash and

organisation mean he can't win. Supporters disagree. His message

resonates. The important thing is that when you talk to this man and

look him in the eye, you can trust him. The mainstream media decided

for us who our candidate was, it was Mitt Romney. They've been

telling us it's Mitt Romney. We're telling them no, it's not

necessarily him. That's not who we want. We want Rick Santorum. This

incredibly tight result suggests a party torn between its head and its

heart, uncertain about who it wants to lead. Uncertain, in particular,

about Mitt Romney. We're going to change the White House and get

America back on track. Coming top is, of course, good news for Romney.

This finish underlines his problem, he can't get more than a quarter of

Republicans onside. 25%, that's his magic number. He cannot break that

number. It's like Lucy with that football, every time he goes to

kick it, she pull it's away, and boom, he hits the ground. In Iowa,

the vote is often in tiny meetings, scattered across this rural state.

Like this one in a fire station. But they've had a big impact on the

race. Ron Paul came a strong third. Rick Perry is down and not quite

out. For Michelle Buckman this was the last waltz. Now they move to

New Hampshire, where 2008 candidate, John McCain backed Romney. To make

sure that we make Mitt Romney the next President of the United States.

That won't help the front run wer his critics, who feel he's the

establishment candidate, unable to reflect a fiery conservatism that

grips the grassroots. We can talk to Mark now. What does the White

House make of the Republican race? Well, the White House seems pretty

convinced that whether this long, gruelling process takes a few weeks

or months, at the end of it, it will be Barack Obama versus Mitt

Romney. Now they're already portraying him as a rich

businessman, who's made his money by closing down companies, by

stripping out jobs, in other words, somebody who wouldn't be good for

the economy. The opposite answer to the one he puts forward, the

opposite argument to the one he puts forward. They're saying that

he changes his mind depending who he's talking to and that he's a

flip flopper. That's a potent charge. It's the fear of right-wing

Republicans, that he's not a core values conservative, that he's

saying some of his stuff just to win votes. The longer those

arguments are had, the better for the White House. Thank you.

A soldier who died in hospital earlier this week, after being

injured in Afghanistan 18 months ago, has been named. Rifleman

Sashin Limbu from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles was caught in a

blast from an IED. His parents said they were immensely proud of their

only son, who sacrificed his life for the good of others.

Norfolk Police say samples taken from a body found on the Queen's

estate at Sandringham have failed to establish the identity of the

victim. Officers say the body is that of a white female aged between

15-23. And that it's highly unlikely she died of natural causes.

Shares in the retailer Next fell today as it admitted that the

trading in the run up to Christmas was disappointing. John Lewis says

sales were higher and warned that the year ahead would be challenging.

Both said online sales were up. Hugh Pym reports on the first

Christmas trading news from the That it is time for the retailers

to tell their Christmas stories and reveal how much money they took

over the festive period, and also whether a chillier climate has

taken a grip now that the new year has arrived. First, John Lewis,

reporting higher December sales than the same month in 2010. It

said turnover before Christmas was outstanding, but warned that this

year would be tougher. The big challenge for 2012 is planning for

the economy we will face. We are not expecting a serious reduction

in sales. We think the economy will grow, but only a little above flat

sales. We are preparing for that. The biggest winner was online trade,

up 28% at John Lewis. Internet and mail-order sales at Next were up

17% in the August to December period compared to the previous

year. At the same time, Next said its high-street stores saw lower

Christmas sales and the performance was disappointing. The shoppers are

migrating away from the high street and buying online. There is a

perception of getting better value online. And there is the

convenience of shopping when you want. I think this is something

that will continue. Here are two of Britain's best-known retailers

acknowledging that trading conditions are not straightforward.

So it is hardly surprising that elsewhere on the high street,

smaller competitors are finding life difficult. Internet shopping,

with customers stay at home rather than visiting stores, is one factor.

So is the squeeze on consumer budgets because of high inflation

and low pay rises. Some retailers have been feeling the pressure.

Take blacks Leisure. It admits it has had a challenging year, and is

trying to find a buyer. The board has warned shareholders that they

may not get much back on their investment. Thorntons, the

chocolate shop, issued a profit warning before Christmas, blaming

weak consumer confidence. The underwear retailer La Senza said it

was ready to call in administrators because of tough trading conditions.

Other retailers will come up with their trading news next week. There

could be cheerful messages from some, but more downbeat predictions

about what might happen as 2012 unfolds.

Coming up: explaining the offside rule - can it be done on the back

of a 50 pence coin? Fans's President Nicolas Sarkozy

has called on President Assad of Syria to step down, accusing him of

barbaric repression. Syrian activists claim Arab League

observers are being denied a full picture of the violence between

government forces and the opposition. Increasing numbers of

Syrians are seeking sanctuary in neighbouring Lebanon, some to the

Lebanese city of Tripoli. The wounded from Syria are flowing

into Lebanon, smuggled across the border. This man was shot by a

government sniper, they said, hit twice, his chances of survival are

50-50. For those who make it, there is treatment in a Lebanese hospital.

No one shows their face, not even a six-year-old boy. That could mean a

knock on the door for relatives back home. Amran's family say he

was shot as he tried to flee the latest fighting. Abu Hamza, aged 25,

was also shut, but at a demonstration. He tells me he does

not believe government promises to the Arab League to allow peaceful

protest. Recent pictures from the city of Homs showed that people are

still being killed in the streets. I was hit in the late, Abu Hamza

goes on. People tried to help. Once stood up and was shot in the head.

He died instantly. Another one dragging me away was also hit.

Syrian rebels are smuggling people out for treatment because they say

protesters have been murdered in hospital. One former nurse told us

he witnessed four patients being killed. They shouted, come see the

spy, and they beat him. They stabbed him to death with needles,

he said. The people doing this would doctors and nurses. The

chances of a peaceful end to this are dwindling. We met a soldier

injured in one of these firefights. Ahmed Kaman told me he had

witnessed summary executions of soldiers refusing to shoot

protesters. Some of us shot in the air, he told me. One of us just

refused to shoot at all. He laid his gun on the ground. A security

officer killed him there and then. We catch our independently verify

such allegations. But they go a long way to explaining why the

Syrian army has not already split. If that were to happen, everything

would change. But for the time being, there remains a bloody

stalemate on the street between government and protesters.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an

investigation into the granting of a firearms licence to Michael

Atherton, the man who shot dead three women in County Durham before

killing himself. The 42-year-old killed his partner and her sister

in his home on New Year's Day. Relatives of the victims today paid

tribute to a much loved women. Thousands of people in Scotland are

facing a second night without power following yesterday's storms.

Hundred mile per hour winds and snowfall damaged buildings and

property, disrupted travel and brought down power lines. Scottish

Power said that at the peak of the storm, 100,000 of its customers

were cut off. The Labour leader Ed Miliband has

no strategy and little energy. That is the opinion of Labour peer Lord

Glasman, who has advised Mr Miliband in the past. He said that

he still backed him as leader, but that Mr Miliband needs to change

his approach to break through to the electorate. He also said that

Labour was failing to win the argument on the economy. Our deputy

political editor is in Westminster. Mr Miliband may be thinking tonight

"With friends like these, who needs enemies?" it is certainly not how

you want to begin the year. Lord Glasman has never held any

formal position in the Labour leadership. He is a free-thinking

academic and has said things like this before. He also says he backs

Mr Miliband's leadership and praises his campaign against so-

called predatory capitalism. This man was given a peerage by Mr

Miliband last year. And Mr Miliband has written a foreword to one of

the books he has edited. He says tonight that Mr Miliband's

leadership has no strategy, no narrative and little energy. He has

not broken through. He has flickered rather than Champs,

nudged, not lead. He is critical of Labour's economic strategy, driven

by the shadow Chancellor Ed Balls. He says the party has not

articulated an alternative that recognises Labour's weaknesses in

government and takes the argument to the coalition. Tonight Lord

Glasman has insisted that his comments were taken out of context,

but they are his words. The significance is that he is

expressing in public fears that are shared by others within the Labour

Party. He has also provided David Cameron with ammunition for Prime

Minister's Questions in the weeks to come. He will also find his

words syndicated in one or two Conservative leaflets in the days

and weeks to come. Thousands of people who bought

tickets to watch synchronised swimming at London 2012 have been

asked to return there after the organisers discovered but they had

sold thousands more tickets than they had seats. The mix-up happened

when some sessions were put up for sale in a second round. People

affected can exchange their tickets for other events.

It may be the world's favourite game, but football still has one of

the most contentious rules in sport - the offside rule. Now it has been

explained in a simple Bagram that fits onto the back of a 50 pence

piece. It is part of a new set of coins which celebrates the London

2012 Olympics. But will it settle the arguments once and for all?

It is the one rule guaranteed to cause confusion and spark outrage.

At the last World Cup, Argentina scored a blatantly offside goal, at

which point Mexico really kicked off. Attempts to puncture the

mystery of law 11 have come and gone. A player is in an offside

position if he is nearer to the opponent's goal line ban but the

ball and the second last opponent. But now, as a way of marking

football's presence in the London Olympics, the key to all

understanding has been crammed onto the back of a 50 pence piece. The

triangle at the bottom has the ball. The triangle on the right level

with the square on his left is not offside. The triangle at the top is

offside. Clear? Well, this man hopes so. He is the man who won the

Olympic competition for a sporting coin. Time for him to find out if

his design has currency. Do you think this gives a vague

explanation of the offside rule? De as it made you understand the

offside rule? Are I know the rule, so I can understand. So that his

offside, and that is not offside. There are two sides. Mission sort

of accomplished? I do not think offside decisions will become any

less contentious now. But hopefully, more people will understand the

rule. Including referees, perhaps? I could not possibly comment.

Faster, Higher, stronger - that is the Olympic motto. Perhaps, for the

price of 50 pence, we can now add, Keira.