A 15 year old boy was charged last night with the murder of the Co Wicklow born headmaster Mr Philip Lawrence, who was stabbed outside his London school gates last month.
The youth, from Camden, north London, was also charged that he conspired with persons unknown to wound another namely a 13 year old schoolboy with the intention of causing grievous bodily harm. He is to appear before Highbury Corner Youth Court this morning.
It is understood the charge relating to the 13 year old boy concerns the teenager Mr Lawrence was attempting to protect from a gang outside the gates of St George's Catholic comprehensive school in Maida Vale, north London.
Police believe Mr Lawrence (48), a father of four from Kilmacanogue, co Wicklow, was killed following a dispute between rival school gangs, who modelled themselves on the Chinese Triad organisation, and had fought several times before outside St George's.
Following Mr Lawrence's death, Scotland Yard launched one of London's largest murder investigations, as MPs, church leaders and the Prime Minister condemned the "appalling and shocking" killing. A popular headmaster, Mr Lawrence had radically improved St George's education and discipline standards in the past two years.
Just a day before his death, Mr Lawrence had described his fears over playground violence, the rival gang fights after school hours and the effects of the increasingly prominent knife culture. A fund launched in his name has raised more than £60,000. The school has also received over 2,000 letters of condolence from around the world.
On January 22nd Cardinal Basil Hume will celebrate a solemn Mass in Mr Lawrence's memory at Westminster Cathedral. Following Mr Lawrence's death the cardinal blamed society's failure to treat human life as sacred and said that was responsible for the murder.