Lawrence suspect held in Spain after 2 years on run
Jamie Acourt’s dramatic arrest over drug-smuggling ring worth millions
JAMIE Acourt – one of the five men accused of the murder of Stephen Lawrence – was yesterday arrested in Barcelona after two years on the run.
The 41-year- old is believed to be involved in the large-scale supply of drugs and has been wanted by Scotland Yard since 2016.
Dramatic pictures released by Spanish police last night showed a tanned Acourt in handcuffs and in custody after he was held outside a gym in the Spanish city.
Wearing jeans and casual shoes, he was held on a European Arrest Warrant after a joint operation between the UK’s National Crime Agency, Scotland Yard and the Spanish National Police.
Armed officers detained Acourt after he left the Metropolitan Sagrada Familia Gym in Barcelona – less than a month after the 25th anniversary of Stephen’s murder. He is believed to have been the mastermind behind an organised crime group involved in the multi-million pound supply of cannabis. Acourt will now appear at court in Madrid early next week for an extradition hearing.
Last night Ian Cruxton, head of international operations for the National Crime Agency, said: ‘Acourt thought he could evade capture but as a result of an intelligence-led operation his days on the run have ended. We were able to direct the Spanish authorities to his location in Barcelona.
‘Our ability to share information and work at speed with our international partners ensures there is no safe haven for fugitives. We will never stop pursuing these individuals.’
Acourt is one of five youths accused of taking part in the 1993 racist murder of 18-yearold Stephen in Eltham, South London.
In 1997, Acourt, his brother Neil, Gary Dobson, Luke Knight and David Norris were all named by the Daily Mail as Stephen Lawrence’s killers.
The newspaper challenged the five to sue for libel after the Mail accused them of murder. They never did. In 2012, following a lengthy campaign for justice, both Norris and Dobson were convicted of Stephen’s murder at the Old Bailey and jailed for life. Jamie Acourt went on the run in 2016 and at one stage his face was emblazoned on a billboard unveiled in Malaga.
Crime- fighting charity Crimestoppers also issued appeal notices to trace him.
Jamie Acourt is believed to have fled to the ‘ Costa del Crime’ after being linked to a major drug smuggling ring.
He is suspected of being a ‘principal member’ of an organised crime group involved in the large- scale supply of cannabis.
Acourt claimed he was someone else when police pounced. He was still sweaty from a workout – with his gym bag slung over his shoulder – when officers grabbed him.
Acourt tried to produce some false documentation to prove he was not the wanted man, but he was quickly apprehended. It is thought that he had been in Barcelona for months.
The unemployed father of two had previously tried to start a new life in Spain with his partner.
In 2012, the Mail revealed his penchant for designer clothes, his preference for greased back hair and how he rarely drove anything more than a year old.
Although he had no obvious signs of employment, he drove a £25,000 Vauxhall Insignia.
Acourt was 16 when Stephen was murdered and at the time was under suspicion for stabbing a man at a nightclub in Greenwich. He revelled in the notoriety of the case and had an obsession with knives.
In a 1999 TV interview with Martin Bashir he admitted it was an ‘ amazing coincidence’ that the five suspects fitted the descriptions of the white youths who killed Stephen.
Acourt even admitted carrying a knife on occasion for protection.
The Metropolitan Police said last night: ‘Today Spanish authorities arrested Jamie Acourt, 41, in Barcelona on a European Arrest Warrant. Proceedings now await.’ Last month Stephen Lawrence’s mother Doreen suggested that the police inquiry into her son’s murder should be closed after 25 years.