Stephen Lawrence: IPCC to investigate allegations of Scotland Yard corruption

As Tom Watson MP says this is very serious.........


tom_watson‏@tom_watson
I missed this Friday afternoon announcement from Scotland Yard. Strikes me it's very serious:




Stephen Lawrence: IPCC to investigate allegations of Scotland Yard corruption

A police watchdog will investigate whether allegations of corruption in the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation were not passed on to a major inquiry.


5:13PM BST 11 May 2012


Scotland Yard said it called in the Independent Police Complaints Commission today after reviewing "a considerable number of files and reports dating back to the 1980s".


The review was sparked amid claims that a confidential report compiled by the force's anti-corruption command was not disclosed to the panel of the 1998 Macpherson inquiry that examined the force's handling of the case.


The force refused to disclose again if two months of searches by its own detectives had uncovered any evidence that reports had not been passed on to Macpherson.


A force statement said: "The Directorate of Professional Standards has reviewed a considerable number of files and reports dating back to the 1980s as well as conducting interviews with a number of key individuals involved in the original investigation into both Stephen Lawrence's murder and police corruption.


"We have retrieved a number of key documents, which greatly assist in understanding what material was available to the Macpherson inquiry and are now in the process of sharing our findings with the Independent Police Complaints Commission so that they can review it in the light of their previous involvement in the case."


The announcement comes after the teenager's mother, Doreen Lawrence, called for the reopening of the major public inquiry into the circumstances of his death.

Documents were said to focus on the conduct and integrity of former Metropolitan Police commander Ray Adams, who was involved in the probe into the murder.

Despite investigating the claims for more than a month, Scotland Yard has been unable to confirm if the potentially crucial files were passed to the inquiry, headed by Sir William Macpherson.

Home Secretary Theresa May has since offered to meet Mrs Lawrence, who said the claims gave further impetus to her calls for a public inquiry.

Some of the allegations against Mr Adams centred on his relationship with Kenneth Noye, who was later convicted of a separate murder.

No criminal or misconduct charges were brought as a result of the internal investigation into Mr Adams.

He was questioned at the Macpherson inquiry about corruption, but no evidence of wrongdoing was found.

During the Macpherson inquiry, lawyers claimed Noye had a criminal associate, Clifford Norris, whose son David was a prime suspect in the murder of Stephen.

David Norris and Gary Dobson were convicted of Stephen's murder in January this year - 19 years after the crime - and sentenced to life at the Old Bailey.

It has also been claimed that another Scotland Yard officer, who interviewed the suspects following Stephen's killing, had links to Clifford Norris.

Former detective sergeant John Davidson denies any wrongdoing.

The Metropolitan Police statement came as Mrs Lawrence joined a vigil with the family of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager who was shot dead in Florida by a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9260739/Stephen-Lawrence-IPCC-to-investigate-allegations-of-Scotland-Yard-corruption.html

Admin, if this topic has a thread of its own, can you please move?

Stephen Lawrence murder officer suspected of corruption

A review into the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation has found "reasonable grounds" to suspect corruption by one police officer.

The review by Mark Ellison QC found no evidence of corruption by officers other than Det Sgt John Davidson.

But it said other lines of inquiry might be able to provide such evidence.

Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack by a gang of white youths as he waited at a bus stop in south-east London in April 1993.

In 2012 Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of murdering the 18-year-old and sentenced to minimum terms of 15 years and two months and 14 years and three months respectively.

Allegations about Det Sgt Davidson were first made in a BBC programme in July 2006.

It reported former police detective Neil Putnam saying Det Sgt Davidson had taken a bribe from Clifford Norris, father of David Norris.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26466867

Waaaay off topic, but we had a beauty here just yesterday. The former Chief Constable of Cleveland was whinging about how he had been unable to properly defend himself against charges of corruption..... because he was in the process of being sacked for gross misconduct!

More here if you can stomach it.

BREAKING :  Investigation launched by IPCC into claims about the conduct of one serving and two former police officers in connection with the Lawrence independent review.

One is Met commander Richard Walton - there are claims he obtained info about the Lawrence family and their supporters, potentially undermining the enquiry.

Stephen Lawrence police to be investigated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27663350

Have merged the two threads.

No whitewash then ?

Inquiries into inquiry evidence now:


IPCC outlines investigation involving former MPS Commissioner Lord Stevens


May 27, 2015
 
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating whether there was a failure of top rank or very senior police officers including, but not limited to, the former Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) commissioner Lord (John) Stevens to provide full, frank and truthful information on the issue of corruption to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in 1998.
 
The investigation follows a public complaint to the MPS from Neville Lawrence OBE with regards to Lord Stevens and his office. As a result, the force made a voluntary referral to the IPCC. No other officers or former officers were identified within that referral.
 
Lord Stevens was the Deputy Commissioner of the MPS at the time of the Inquiry and provided information, in the form of two letters from his office, to the Inquiry regarding anti-corruption intelligence and on-going enquiries.
 
The Stephen Lawrence Independent Review, conducted by Mark Ellison QC, found no evidence that anti-corruption intelligence which involved an officer who worked on the original Stephen Lawrence murder investigation, was provided to the Inquiry by the MPS.
 
IPCC investigators will examine the information known and the decisions made in compiling a letter sent from Lord Stevens’ office to the Inquiry dated 12 June 1998. The letter was the MPS response to a request from the Inquiry, sparked by a media report, as to whether officers involved in the Stephen Lawrence case were being investigated for corruption.
 
The IPCC investigation will also look at the reasons why no further response was provided to the Inquiry, following a letter from Lord Stevens’ office dated 11 September 1998, in light of the Inquiry Chair's subsequent request to be updated with any further developments about relevant anti-corruption enquiries.
 
The investigation is in its early stages and is overseen by IPCC Deputy Chair, Sarah Green.
 
https://www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/ipcc-outlines-investigation-involving-former-mps-commissioner-lord-stevens