Queen honours campaigning widow

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Frances Lawrence, the widow of murdered head teacher Philip Lawrence, has received an MBE from the Queen for her charity work.

Mr Lawrence was murdered outside St George's Roman Catholic school in west London as he tried to defend a pupil against an attack 14 years ago.

A year after his death Mrs Lawrence set up the Philip Lawrence Awards.

She said: "If things had been different Philip would have been here today getting something himself, I'm sure."

Mr Lawrence was 48 when he was stabbed as he intervened in the scuffle outside the gates of his school in 1995.

'Bittersweet' occasion

Since her husband's death Mrs Lawrence has championed young people and tried to counter negative portrayals of youngsters.

She has been instrumental in the running of the Philip Lawrence Awards, set up the year after Mr Lawrence's death, which reward good citizenship and achievement in young people aged between 11 and 20.

She said: "The award is for work on issues (Philip) was dealing with all his working life.

"He always felt that we ought to celebrate those young people that are doing something positive."

After the Buckingham Palace ceremony Mrs Lawrence admitted the occasion was "bittersweet" and said she "hoped for the best" for her husband's killer when he is released.

Learco Chindamo, who was 15 at the time, was jailed in 1996 for a minimum term of 12 years for his murder - which he has now served.

In 2007 Mr Chindamo won an appeal against deportation to Italy, where his father was from.