TWO Oxfordshire forensic scientists who unearthed the key evidence that helped convict the killers of Stephen Lawrence were praised yesterday.

Roy Green and Edward Jarman discovered tiny but vital traces of blood while working at LGC Forensics in Culham.

The private firm, which has seven other UK bases, has helped convict the killers of Rachel Nickell, Damilola Taylor and Vikki Thompson, who was murdered in Ascott-under-Wychwood in 1995.

Among the key evidence was a grey and yellow jacket seized from Gary Dobson’s home, on which the prosecution said they had discovered Mr Lawrence’s blood.

Dobson and David Norris were convicted on Tuesday at the Old Bailey of killing Mr Lawrence in Eltham, south east London in April 1993.

Alan Tribe, the head of the Metropolitan Police’s evidence-recovery unit, said: “It should be noted that all of the findings relate to tiny, microscopic material found after exhaustive and painstaking searching, on items that in some cases had already been subject to previous very thorough examinations.

“Therefore much credit is due to the scientists at LGC Forensics – Ed Jarman, Roy Green and Deborah Hopwood (who worked at LGC in Tamworth) – and their assistants who found this material.”

The jacket was originally seized by police on May 7, 1993.

It was initially examined in October that year, and again in 1995, but no bloodstains found.

More than a decade later, in 2007, the jacket was again examined and again no blood was found by the team at LGC.

But the following year the tape used in the original packaging of the exhibit was studied.

As Mr Tribe stated: “During this examination several tiny flakes of blood were found on these tapes, including one flake which had dried around textile fibres. These flakes gave a full DNA profile that matched that of Stephen Lawrence.”

A subsequent search of the jacket using a low-power microscope found a bloodstain measuring about 0.5mm x 0.25mm on the collar and other very small flakes elsewhere on the outside of the jacket.

This new evidence was submitted and in April this year the Lord Chief Justice quashed the previous acquittal of Gary Dobson and ordered a retrial, which began in November.

Steve Allen, managing director of LGC, said: “I’m extremely proud of the work that LGC’s forensic scientists did on this case. Persistence, meticulous science and innovation can help convict criminals years after they committed the crime.

“This case shows that the key to successful forensics is to assume nothing – which is all the more important in historic cases like this.”

ROY GREEN Roy Green is the senior scientific adviser at LGC’s Culham site. He is responsible for co-ordinating and reporting on complex and serious crime cases, cold-case reviews and current homicides. He was the lead scientist in the Rachel Nickell murder reinvestigation and provided forensic advice on London 7/7 bombings.

EDWARD JARMAN Edward Jarman is a senior forensic scientist at Culham with 11 years’ experience including seven years’ scene attendance. He has been one of LGC’s lead biologists for a number of years and has workied with DNA and blood-pattern analysis and enhancement. He has worked on cold cases and murder investigations.