Lawrence family to ask Home Secretary to reopen inquiry

The formal inquiry into the 1993 racist murder of Stephen Lawrence should be reopened in the light of new allegations of corruption against an officer who investigated the killing, his family will tell the Home Secretary this week.

Last week, The Independent disclosed new revelations about the extent of alleged corruption by Det Sgt John Davidson, of Scotland Yard, who is said to have had close ties to Clifford Norris, father of David Norris, one of two men convicted of the murder two months ago.

At the weekend, Imran Khan, the Lawrence family solicitor, said: "Over the last few days we have had revelations that corruption may have infected the initial investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence." The Lawrence family will now write to the Home Secretary calling for the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry to be reconvened.

The Macpherson report that followed the original inquiry in February 1999 made 70 recommendations, many aimed at the institutionalised racism throughout the Metropolitan Police.

Mr Khan said: "The only way that we can move this forward is for the Home Secretary to reconvene the original inquiry, which couldn't deal with the issue of corruption back then because it didn't have the material on which to consider it."