JURORS in the trial of two men accused of the murder of Stephen Lawrence have been warned not to let emotion influence their deliberations.

Mr Justice Treacy told the panel at the Old Bailey that they must weigh up the evidence in the case without letting anger or sympathy play a part in the verdict.

"Emotion such as sympathy for the Lawrence family has no part to play," he said. "Equally, anger at the nature of the attack on Stephen Lawrence cannot guide your decision."

He told the jurors that they must be "sure" of any verdict they come to, and warned them that it would be unrealistic to expect every loose end to be tied up.

"It's not necessary for every question raised in a case to be answered or for every loose end to be tied up. This is real life, it's not a detective novel," they were told.

Gary Dobson, 36, and David Norris, 35, both deny murder