Officers named range from lowly to top of the tree

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Lawrence's best friend allowed to sue police

The police officers being sued for alleged negligence in investigating the murder of the teenager Stephen Lawrence range from a lowly constable to the head of Scotland Yard.

Duwayne Brooks, Stephen's best friend and the main witness in the case, won the right yesterday to seek compensation from 13 named officers and from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Brooks, now 27, claims that he suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after seeing his friend fatally stabbed by a gang near a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993.

He alleges that police were negligent and racist in the way that they approached the investigation. Mr Brooks was the principal witness in the case and himself a victim of the gang, but claims that officers failed to take his account of the attack seriously and did not refer him to a doctor.

In his legal action, Mr Brooks cites Linda Bethel, a police constable at Plumstead police station in south London, for ignoring information he gave to her about the attack. He says she asked him if he was carrying a weapon. She is alleged to have failed to administer first aid to the dying Stephen or to examine him.

Mr Brooks is also taking action against Joanne Smith and Anthony Gleason, two other police constables who attended the murder scene shortly after the attack. The two officers later married.

It is alleged that PC Smith, who left the police in 1996, also failed to examine Mr Lawrence. At a public inquiry into the murder in 1998, the former officer said she had been more concerned with calming down Mr Brooks, who she said had been abusive and hostile.

Mr Brooks claims PC Gleason failed to administer first aid to Stephen. At the public inquiry he was accused of failing to circulate a description of the gang. Mr Brooks is also seeking compensation from Ian Little, an acting inspector who was in charge of divisional uniformed officers at the scene. He also acted as the officer in charge at the hospital, where he was alleged to have dealt insensitively with the parents of the murdered teenager. He was recommended for a verbal warning by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) but was later promoted.

Also named is Stephen Groves, an inspector supervising the hunt for suspects at the murder scene. He told the public inquiry that he thought Mr Brooks might be a suspect. He was recommended for a verbal warning by the PCA for failing to keep a scene log. He is still serving with the Met.

A number of detectives involved in the subsequent investigation of the case are also being sued for alleged negligence. They include Robert Crane, a detective constable and exhibits officer with the murder squad, who was accused at the public inquiry of failing to store a blood-stained tissue properly; Phillip Jeynes, a detective inspector and the most experienced CID officer at the murder scene; Linda Holden, a detective constable who was accused of patronising behaviour by Stephen's parents; John Bevan, a detective sergeant; Michael Tomlin, a detective constable; William Isley, the detective chief superintendent with overall responsibility for supervising the investigation; and Ian Crampton, a detective superintendent.

Also named is Christopher Crowley, a detective sergeant, who denied that he sabotaged the investigation or that he had a relationship with Clifford Norris, the father of a suspect.

Mr Brooks is also suing the office of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. The post is occupied by Sir John Stevens, but at the time of the attack was held by Sir Paul Condon.