Racists vandalise Stephen Lawrence memorial centre

A £10m architectural centre built to honour the memory of Stephen Lawrence, who was brutally murdered in a racist attack 15 years ago, has been vandalised after only one week, Guardian.co.uk can reveal.

Eight windows each worth £15,000 and designed by the Turner prize-winning artist Chris Ofili on the front of the new building in Deptford, south-east London, were destroyed overnight. A Metropolitan police spokeswoman confirmed the attack was being treated as a racist incident.

"A number of windows had been broken and police were informed at 5.46am today. The hate crime unit at Lewisham CID are investigating the incident," she said.

No arrests have been made and inquiries are continuing.

Attackers appeared to have thrown bricks at the windows from behind a 2.5m high metal fence surrounding the complex.

"It is a very sad day for the trust and for Stephen's family," said Karin Woodley, chief executive of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. "Stephen's mother is very distressed by all of this."

She said it was the fourth time the centre had been attacked, but this was by far the worst. She added that the centre had 24-hour CCTV and on-site security, and that security measures would be reviewed.

"I think this is awful and just shows there are still people out there who have a problem with racism and with those who value diversity," said Imran Khan, a lawyer for Stephen's mother, Doreen Lawrence.

The three-storey building, designed by the award-winning architect David Adjaye, aims to offer thousands of young people from deprived backgrounds the chance to break into architecture, urban design and building. London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, and the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Sir Ian Blair, were at the opening of the centre last week, along with Lawrence. She said her son, who dreamed of being an architect from the age of seven, would have been "so excited" that the centre was built in his name.

Stephen was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack by a gang at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993. Many of the suspects continue to live in the area.

The case was the subject of three separate investigations, an internal Scotland Yard review and a re-examination by Kent police, as well as the 1999 Macpherson inquiry, which found the Metropolitan police was beset by "institutional racism".

Last November, police confirmed they were investigating new forensic evidence in the case.

The Lawrence centre offers courses, training and mentoring in engineering, architecture and building facilities for people between 14 and 25. It is linked to several leading firms and universities. Woodley said last week the centre was a "laboratory for looking at new ways of working with young people to improve their attainment and skills".

"Stephen was tragically denied the chance to realise his dream of becoming an architect, but we hope to offer young people who are living in poverty the opportunity to realise their aspirations," she said.

In 1999 Stephen's memorial was defiled by paint. It was attacked again the following year, despite 24-hour camera surveillance.

Guardian