Stephen Lawrence police may be charged
Four former senior police officers involved in the early stages of the botched investigation into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence could face criminal charges, it has been announced. Prosecutors have been asked to consider whether former Det Supt Ian Crampton, former Det Supt Brian Weeden, former Det Chief Supt William Ilsley and former Det Insp Ben Bullock committed misconduct in public office. The four officers are now all retired.
FOUR former senior police officers involved in the early stages of the botched investigation into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence could face criminal charges, it has been announced.
Prosecutors have been asked to consider whether former Det Supt Ian Crampton, former Det Supt Brian Weeden, former Det Chief Supt William Ilsley and former Det Insp Ben Bullock committed misconduct in public office.
The four officers, now all retired, were in the investigation’s senior management team in its initial phase. The move comes after a five-year investigation by the National Crime Agency into Scotland Yard’s handling of the murder. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it had passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Stephen, an aspiring architect, was 18 when he was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths at a bus stop in Eltham, south London, in April 1993.
Within hours police had the names of suspects but they failed to arrest anyone for two weeks, fatally undermining the investigation and allowing potential evidence to be lost. Nineteen years later, two members of the gang, David Norris and Gary Dobson, were finally brought to justice for the murder. The other suspects are still at large. The original investigation was hampered by institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police, amid claims that corrupt officers sought to protect Norris, whose father, Clifford Norris, was a notorious gangster and drug dealer.
Last year, former Det Sgt John Davidson was cleared of corruption, having been accused of being in the pay of Clifford Norris. The NCA inquiry into the Met’s handling of the murder began looking into corruption claims but later moved on to assess if there had been evidence of misconduct in public office.
The four former officers were questioned under criminal caution and were being represented by the Police Superintendents’ Association and the Police Federation. In a statement the representatives said: “We are exceptionally disappointed. We wish to make clear that the officers have never been interviewed or accused of any corruption.”
A public inquiry chaired by Sir William Macpherson in 1998 found the original investigation was marred by a “combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers”.
Sarah Green, of the IOPC, said: “Following thorough analysis, we have decided there is an indication that four former officers may have committed the offence of misconduct in public office in relation to their actions and omissions prior to the arrests of the five key suspects for Stephen’s murder. It is important to note a referral to the CPS does not mean criminal charges will follow.”
Baroness Lawrence, Stephen’s mother, said: “It is a matter of record there were many failures in the investigation into Stephen’s murder which led to decades of heartbreak and anguish for me and my family. It may now transpire some of the officers involved were acting unlawfully. If this is the case then it is truly shocking that police officers have been able to act unlawfully and evade prosecution for almost 30 years.”
Lawrence’s father, Neville, said: “It is 27 years since Stephen’s death. We are still seeking justice, including against police who failed in the original investigation.”