The Colour of Injustice - by Lee Lawrence

Book Synopsis

Like The Secret Barrister, The Colour of Injustice is a passionate call to reflect upon and re-examine Britain's relationship with justice. Lee Lawrence will tell the most compelling and outrageous stories of crimes against Black people in Britain and in doing so ask profound questions about contemporary British society.

Lawrence tells his story through a dozen core cases involving race-based criminal injustice, dating from 1919 - Charles Wotten, who having served in the Royal Navy during WW1 was murdered by a mob in Cardiff - to the present day. By incorporating societal, judicial and police services changes to add context to each of the cases, it shows that while progress has been made that large gaps remain.

The first post-war murder of a Black person in Britain was that of Kelso Cochrane, a case which shares many disturbing aspects with the murder of Stephen Lawrence more than 30 years later. His death did, however, inspire the creation of the Notting Hill Carnival. No one has ever been charged and the case remains unsolved. Subsequent key cases range from that of David Oluwale in 1971 (the first successful prosecution of British police officers for involvement in the death of a black person) to the Mangrove Nine, the death of thirteen people in the New Cross Fire, and the shooting of Lawrence's own mother by Brixton police in 1985.

About the Author

Lee Lawrence is a social entrepreneur who works to help marginalised people find their voice, manage conflict and achieve justice. In 2014, he founded Mobility Enterprises with the hope of aiding those who would otherwise struggle in their daily life by providing public transport for the disabled. In 2016, he founded the Cherry Groce Foundation which exists to enhance the wellbeing of individuals with a physical or mental impairment. Lawrence is the author of The Louder I Will Sing, winner of the 2020 Costa Biography Award. He regularly lectures to the Metropolitan Police