Stephen Lawrence verdict: As it happened

Good afternoon and welcome to our live and latest page on the verdict in the Stephen Lawrence murder trial. We'll bring you all the key developments on the story and analysis from BBC correspondents and commentators as we get it.

Gary Dobson and David Norris are found guilty of murdering Stephen Lawrence.

Follow BBC correspondents @PhilippaNews and @MattProdger as they tweet live from the Old Bailey.

Dobson added: "I hope you can all live with that."

Dobson told the jury: "You've convicted an innocent man today."

Sentence is to be passed on Dobson and Norris tomorrow morning.

Pauline Dobson, Gary Dobson's mother, also wept as the verdicts were read out.

Neville Lawrence, the father of Stephen Lawrence, was in court to hear the jury convict Dobson and Norris of the murder of his son.

It took 18 years, but the deceit, lies and public arrogance of Gary Dobson and David Norris have finally been exposed, says BBC home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani.

Watch our live BBC News Channel feed on the verdict.

Just a reminder that Gary Dobson and David Norris had both denied being part of a racist gang who stabbed the black teenager in south-east London in 1993.

The Lawrence family are going back into court now; we believe they may speak outside court after mitigation has been heard.

Read the full story here - it's being updated minute by minute.

The Stephen Lawrence case became one of the most high-profile murders of recent times - leading to a review which concluded that the Metropolitan Police was institutionally racist.

The jury deliberated for eight and a half hours in total.

Mr Lawrence's mother Doreen gave a quiet smile to her solicitor Imran Khan as the verdict was read. His father Neville wiped his eyes as he left court.

Mr Lawrence's parents Doreen and Neville wept as the verdicts were delivered at the Old Bailey.

Verdicts were read to an almost silent room, says the BBC's Philippa Thomas at the Old Bailey.

Read our profiles of Gary Dobson and David Norris.

The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust says there is a "sense of huge relief" at the guilty verdicts.

The charitable trust aims to help disadvantaged young people and create positive relationships in the community. Stephen's mother Doreen is its director.

We're expecting to hear from Mr Lawrence's mother Doreen shortly. Mrs Lawrence, along with Stephen's father Neville and brother Stuart, have been attending the trial since it began eight weeks ago.

Michael Mansfield QC, who has represented the Lawrence family, says he feels "remarkable relief" for Stephen's parents. He says they have shown a "singular and undivided focus" in their efforts to bring their son's killers to justice.

Gary Dobson is already serving a five-year sentence for a drugs offence. Norris has a previous conviction for racially threatening and abusive behaviour. The jury did not know this before the verdict.

Paul Anderson-Walsh, head of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, hailed Doreen Lawrence for being "a metaphor for the very best of British values".

Peter Bottomley - Conservative MP for Eltham at the time of the killing - says justice has finally been done.

On the BBC News Facebook wall... Philip Chui says: "Finally, justice is done!" Meanwhile, Chris Jones says: "If it had been the other way around, they would have walked free, and been given thousands in compensation."

Just a quick reminder of what has happened: Gary Dobson, 36, and David Norris, 35, have been convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, nearly 19 years ago. Stay with us for the latest.

Proceedings in court are continuing - Dobson and Norris can ask for factors to be taken into account, such as how young they were when Mr Lawrence was killed.

Gary Dobson's lawyer: No evidence he was a prime motivator or leader in the attack.

Dr Richard Stone, an adviser to the Macpherson Inquiry - into the death of Stephen Lawrence, says he feels "tremendously relieved for the Lawrence family who have stood up to all the pressures and negativity for 18 years".

Brian Cathcart, author of The Case of Stephen Lawrence: "The idea that you go back into the old evidence ... I think it's surprising and leaves a conflict of emotions because there's never any closure. Stephen was murdered."

Labour leader Ed Miliband says in a statement: "I hope today's verdict will help bring closure for the Lawrence family, whose courage and dignity in fighting for justice for their son has touched the nation's heart and inspired millions."

Mr Miliband goes on: "We must never allow ourselves to become complacent about the threat of racism. And we must continue to confront it, in all its forms."

The part of the trial allowing defence teams to say what factors there are that could reduce their clients' sentences is over.

Sentencing will take place at 11.30 GMT on Wednesday.

Just before the verdicts David Norris raised his fists to the public jury, says the BBC's Philippa Thomas.

Dobson told his family not to worry and Norris waved to family as he was led away.

Charles Crichlow, president of the National Black Police Association, adds that the guilty verdicts represent a "triumph of justice".

Crowds are gathering outside the Old Bailey as they await a statement from Doreen and Neville Lawrence.

Lawrence family statement due in the next few minutes.

Just a reminder that previous investigations into the murder had not resulted in anyone being convicted. Three men, including Dobson, were acquitted of the murder in 1996 following a private prosecution brought by the Lawrence family.

Gary Dobson was 17 and David Norris was 16 when they killed Stephen Lawrence.

There are big cheers as the Lawrence family walk out of court to give their statement.

Doreen Lawrence: "Today is not a cause for celebration. How can I celebrate when my son lies buried?"

Doreen Lawrence: "These verdicts will not bring my son back".

Doreen Lawrence: "This has been a very difficult time for me and I'd like to thank all those people who have expressed kindness and support over the past 18 years."

Doreen Lawrence says she wants people to think of her son as something other than a black teenager who was murdered. "I now want people to remember him as a bright, beautiful young man who any parents of whatever background would have been proud of."

Doreen Lawrence says she misses her son "with a passion" and adds: "Hopefully now he can rest in peace."

Neville Lawrence says through his solicitor that his life was "torn apart" by the "senseless" murder of his son.

Neville Lawrence: "I am full of joy and relief that today two of my son's murderers have been convicted."

For further detail on the Stephen Lawrence case see the BBC News Website's timeline.

Panorama will air a special programme to mark the end of the Lawrence family's 18-year struggle for justice - Stephen Lawrence: Time for Justice at 20:00 GMT on BBC One.

Here's a round-up of some of the key reaction to .

Jon Clements, ITV News crime correspondent, tweets: "Around 160 police officers have worked on Stephen #Lawrence murder taking 1,378 witness statements over the years."

Here's some more reaction to the guilty verdicts. The Institute of Race Relations praises the "tenacious struggle waged by the Lawrence family to indict those responsible for the racist killing of Stephen".

Alison Saunders, chief Crown prosecutor for London, says in a statement: "This is one of the most significant cases of this generation: changing attitudes, policing and the law. It has taken a long time and a lot of hard work to get here."

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone says Mr and Mrs Lawrence had "altered the terms of how we think about racism". He added that it was a "momentous and long-overdue verdict".

Doreen Lawrence, surrounded by family members, prepares to read a statement outside the Old Bailey.

Clive Efford, MP for Eltham where Stephen Lawrence was killed, says: "This shows to those people that are racist, who are intent on carrying out acts of violence, that they're not going to get away with it, that eventually the law will catch up with you."

The Stephen Lawrence murder trial boiled down to three things; blood, fibres and hair. These tiny fragments of new evidence emerged in 2007 as scientists conducted a massive "cold case review". Here's more on the key evidence that led to the convictions of Norris and Dobson.

Roger Graef, criminologist, tells the BBC News Channel: "It's a wonderful development at a very, very, very belated stage." He adds the signals the case has sent out to the black community have been "really destructive".

Stephen Lawrence: a profile of the young man killed by racists.

A bit more on the statement from Neville Lawrence; he said outside court that he could not rest until all of those who killed his son were brought to justice.

In an interview with the BBC's Panorama, Stephen's mother Doreen says: "I don't forgive the boys who killed Stephen. They don't think they have done anything wrong. They took away Stephen's life and there is nothing in their behaviour or anything to show they they regret what their actions have done and the pain it has caused us as a family."

Brian Paddick, former deputy assistant commissioner of the Met Police, tells the BBC News Channel it's a "shame it has taken so long to make up for the mistakes in the initial (police) investigation" into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

A bit more from Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London, speaking outside court: "It should be remembered that 18 years ago, a young man lost his life. We hope these convictions will offer some justice to the family and friends of Stephen Lawrence."

Kit Malthouse, London's deputy mayor, says: "That his parents, Doreen and Neville, had to wage such a long and determined battle for justice is a matter of regret, but today's verdicts are a vindication for them, and a tribute to the diligence of the investigatory team at the Met and their CPS colleagues."

Michael Mansfield QC, who has represented Mr Lawrence's parents since 1995, says the police were slow in collecting evidence.

The name Stephen Lawrence has come to define a watershed in British cultural life, says BBC home editor Mark Easton in his analysis following today's verdicts.

Our colleagues at BBC London have looked at how the murder affected the community of Eltham in south-east London.

Doreen Lawrence told the press outside court that her relief was mixed with anger that her family have been put through nearly two decades of "grief and uncertainty".

Watch a video of Doreen Lawrence's statement following the verdicts.

at the Old Bailey, says: "The courtroom was completely silent as the jury delivered their verdicts. It was only afterwards, as the implications sank in, that people began to react. Stephen Lawrence's mother remained composed, as she did throughout the trial. She wept a little, but also smiled at her solicitor. She was comforted by Stephen's brother Stuart. His father, Neville, wiped a tear from his eye as he left court. Above, in the public gallery, Pauline Dobson, the mother of one of the defendants Gary Dobson, began to sob loudly, before crying out 'He did not kill that man'."

Forensic scientists who unearthed new evidence leading to the conviction say they are "hugely" proud.

Prime Minister David Cameron says the verdicts "cannot ease the pain of losing a son" for Stephen Lawrence's parents, but he hopes it brings "at least some comfort after their years of struggle".

Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, who published a front page in 1997 which branded Dobson and Norris "murderers", welcomes the verdicts in a video on the Mail Online website.

As a point of interest, Dobson is among a small number of men to have been tried twice for the same crime, after the Court of Appeal quashed his 1996 acquittal for the murder.

Sadiq Khan, Labour's shadow justice secretary, says in a statement: "Stephen's tragic death had a profound impact on Britain as a whole... Every part of our society had to face up to the full consequences of what racism can do, from the tragedy of taking young lives, to polluting and corrupting the functioning of our public bodies."

After the verdict the judge, Mr Justice Treacy, thanked jurors for their "dedicated service" and told them the public owed them "gratitude".

There will be a special programme on the Stephen Lawrence murder verdicts on BBC London at 18:30 GMT.

Bevan Powell, chairman of the Metropolitan Black Police Association, says the verdicts "bring a sense of justice to a long overdue prosecution".

Clive Efford, Labour MP for Eltham, says: "The Met Police has justifiably been heavily criticised for the way that they handled the initial investigations into Stephen's death, but the tenacious and detailed forensic work carried out by the police in this case deserves a great deal of praise."

Mr Efford said he hoped the verdict would bring closure for the people of Eltham. "For many years they have suffered from a sustained campaign from sections of the media keen to depict this community as the only one with problems associated with racism," he says.

There has been a real transformation in the police's relationship with the black community since Stephen Lawrence's murder.

Joshua Rozenberg, writing on the Guardian website, explains the change in the law that meant Gary Dobson could go on trial for murder for a second time.

The Daily Telegraph reports on how the jury knew nothing of Dobson and Norris's "violent past".

Flowers and tributes are left on the memorial stone for Stephen Lawrence in Well Hall Road, Eltham, following the conviction of Dobson and Norris for his murder.

The BBC's Tom Symonds reports on how Dobson and Norris were brought to justice.

The BBC's Tom Symonds says police have told him that the Stephen Lawrence case is still open. There are nine people that police remain interested in, he says.

Former Home Secretary Jack Straw tells the BBC that relations with the black community have improved dramatically as a result of the "courage and determination" of Stephen Lawrence's parents.

Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, described Stephen Lawrence's murder as a turning point for Britain. He adds: "One legacy of his tragic death was a significant change to race discrimination law."

No matter what some people may want to see happen to Gary Dobson and David Norris, sentencing rules don't allow Mr Justice Treacy to lock them up and throw away the key. So the question is the minimum number of years they must serve before they can be considered for parole under a life licence. Both men were under 18 years when they murdered Stephen Lawrence, so they cannot be sentenced as adults. They also cannot be sentenced under 2003 guidelines, which have a much tougher starting point for racially-aggravated murders, because the offence was committed in 1993. Mr Justice Treacy will look at their age at the time, aggravating and mitigating factors and other elements, such as Norris's time spent on remand. He will have to put himself in the position of the home secretary in 1993, who back then had the power to set minimum terms for juvenile offenders.

Before we go, a reminder of today's events:

• Gary Dobson, 36, and David Norris, 35, were found guilty of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993
• Stephen Lawrence's parents Doreen and Neville said they were relieved at the verdicts. Mrs Lawrence was highly critical of the initial police investigation. Mr Lawrence said he would not rest until all his son's killers were brought to justice
• Dobson and Norris will be sentenced at the Old Bailey tomorrow morning

Thanks for joining us today - that's all from our live and latest team. For full coverage of tomorrow's sentencing, see the BBC News Website.