UK: Stephen Lawrence police investigation “was corrupt”
01 May 2006
Thirteen years after the racist murder of black student Stephen Lawrence in south London, allegations that police corruption undermined the case against a gang of white racists have re-emerged. Five men, Neil Acourt, his brother Jamie, David Norris, Gary Dobsen and Luke Knight were arrested during the police investigation, but were never convicted of Stephen’s murder. The MacPherson inquiry into the events found that police investigations were "marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership" within the Metropolitan police force. However a strong "whiff" of corruption among detectives was found to be unproven by the inquiry, to the disgust of Stephen's friends and supporters.
At the end of July the
Daily Mirror newspaper and a BBC documentary revisited the allegations, after receiving new evidence that the police investigation was "sabotaged by a corrupt cop", Detective Sergeant John Davidson, who has since retired on a full pension. Davidson was named by another detective. Neil Putnam, a drugs squad officer who turned supergrass and served a jail sentence. He claims that Davidson received payment from Clifford Norris, the father of one of the murderers, to obstruct the police investigation. The claims, which have been widespread throughout the 13 years since Stephen's murder, have been described as "extremely upsetting" by Davidson who denies them.
According to the new evidence, Davidson was "looking after" David Norris, allowing the gang to stay one step ahead of the police inquiry. Putnam says that Davidson, who now runs a bar in Spain, received payments from Clifford Norris who was a wanted drugs smuggler. Putnam told the
Guardian newspaper:
Davidson told me that he was looking after Norris and that to me meant that he was protecting him, protecting his family against arrest and any conviction... From my conversation... with John Davidson on that day, I would say that [he] was receiving cash from Clifford Norris.
While the corruption allegations have been dismissed by the Metropolitan police, they have prompted an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, following requests by Stephen's parents. They will be consulted on the investigations terms of reference. The Lawrence family barrister, Michael Mansfield, is insisting that the police reopen the case to investigate if other police officers were in the pay of Norris.
BBC News 31.7.06; Daily Mirror 26.7.06; Guardian 26.7.06