On May 19th, 2001, in the early hours of the morning, thirty-four-year-old Stephen Lawlor was gunned down in cold blood as he left a party near his home in Netherley, Liverpool. The shooting, which took place in Rosewood Close, marked the beginning of a brutal “tit-for-tat” cycle of violence that would claim at least three lives and terrorize communities in the city.
Stephen had been drinking with friends at a party. As he exited the gathering with a woman named Miss McCann and another companion, a gunman opened fire, hitting him repeatedly; reports indicate at least six bullets were pumped into his body. He died at the scene. The attack was described as an execution-style killing, carried out in a residential area as witnesses looked on in horror.
Stephen Lawlor was no stranger to Liverpool’s underworld. He and his family were heavily involved in the city’s “door wars,” the competitive and often violent trade of providing security (bouncers) for pubs and clubs. The Lawlors were linked to larger criminal networks, including associations with figures in the drug trade.
The murder was widely believed to stem from long-standing “ill feeling” between the Lawlor and Clarke families, both major players in the same security scene. Tensions had reportedly boiled over from disputes in the nightlife industry.
Within days, police arrested twenty-three-year-old Peter Clarke, a corporal in the King’s Regiment and a local man with connections to the rival family. Clarke, a former soldier, was charged with murder. The case went to trial at Newcastle Crown Court in December 2001. After more than ten hours of deliberation, a jury found him guilty by majority verdict.
The judge, Mr Justice Grigson, described the killing as an “execution” and sentenced Clarke to the mandatory life term. Clarke reportedly put his head in his hands as the verdict was read. At the time, the conviction was seen as a swift resolution to a high-profile gangland-style shooting.
But Clarke’s conviction did not stand. He appealed, and a retrial was held at Manchester Crown Court. New evidence emerged, and the jury acquitted him. Clarke was freed, though he would later face imprisonment for unrelated serious crimes, including a large-scale drugs conspiracy involving cocaine and cannabis shipments, as well as weapons possession.
To this day, no one has been successfully convicted of Stephen Lawlor’s murder.
And Stephen’s death was only the start. Five months later, in September 2001, Peter Clarke’s brother, Ian Clarke (thirty-two, a father of three), was shot dead in his car at a red light in Tuebrook. Then, in October 2001, Stephen’s older brother Tony Lawlor (forty-five) was executed in front of their mother, Maisie, outside shops in Middlemass Hey, Netherley. A gang in a Transit van pulled up and opened fire; Tony was shot multiple times, and one assailant reportedly checked he was dead. Maisie Lawlor, who passed away in 2013, spoke of the unimaginable pain of losing two sons to violence.
These three killings—Stephen Lawlor, Ian Clarke, and Tony Lawlor—remain officially unsolved in terms of final justice for all victims. Merseyside Police have historically offered witness protection for anyone coming forward with information.
Crime Immemorial 