An official investigation has concluded that Scotland Yard had information that “could and should” have been handed to the inquiry into Stephen Lawrence’s murder but failed to disclose it, the Guardian has learned.
The unpublished findings from the police watchdog are a potential fresh embarrassment to the Met and emerged after a sixth suspect in the 1993 killing of the black teenager was identified, leading to calls from Lawrence’s father and best friend to reopen the investigation.
The Met faces claims that it let the suspect, Matthew White – who died in 2021 – slip through its fingers despite him being named at least twice to police.
The latest revelations from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) concern what the Met told the Macpherson inquiry as it investigated claims that corruption shielded Lawrence’s killers.
The IOPC examined claims that the Macpherson inquiry, set up by the government, was not passed information held by the Met. The IOPC inquiry followed a complaint by Dr Neville Lawrence, Stephen’s father, and its findings have not been made public until now.
The Lawrence family long suspected that corruption blighted the murder investigation and tried to pursue this at the Macpherson inquiry, which held hearings in 1998 and reported a year later, ruling out corruption.
The Guardian has learned that the IOPC concluded that details about a detective in the Lawrence case, John Davidson, and his emergence as a suspect for corruption should have been given to Macpherson.
A senior IOPC official, Sarah Green, wrote: “The investigation has identified that further information was available that could and should have been disclosed by the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] to the Macpherson inquiry.”
The IOPC has decided there is no indication of a potential criminal offence. Those investigated include the former Met commissioner John Stevens, who denied wrongdoing.
A senior source within the Met at the time told the Guardian that potentially crucial information was not passed to Macpherson, but not because of any deliberate decision.
The Met has been given a copy of the IOPC report and has asked a chief constable from a different force to consider whether any disciplinary charges would be merited. All those investigated have retired.
Neville Lawrence said: “It is outrageous they did not hand everything over to Macpherson.”
Duwayne Brooks, who was with Stephen on the night they were both attacked, said: “Macpherson was misled on corruption. It was a deliberate attempt to cover up the corruption to the Macpherson inquiry.”
The chair of the inquiry, Sir William Macpherson, wrote to Stevens asking that any information about Davidson be passed to him. Macpherson stressed how crucial such information could be to his inquiry.
Davidson controlled much of the flow of information in the first Lawrence murder investigation as head of the “outside team”. He has always denied any wrongdoing and has not faced charges.
The IOPC said: “We have decided not to refer a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service relating to our investigation into a complaint by Dr Neville Lawrence that senior Metropolitan police officers failed to provide full, frank and truthful information on the issue of corruption to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry in 1998. We investigated the conduct of three former officers and have found no indication that any officer investigated may have committed a criminal offence.”
The watchdog said victims had a right to ask for a review of the decision not to refer the case to prosecutors.
The Met came under renewed pressure over the Lawrence case on Monday after naming White as a significant new suspect in the case and admitting that too many mistakes were made in the initial investigation.
White’s stepfather told police that the youth was involved in the attack in 1993, but it was not until two decades later that any detective followed that up, the BBC reported.
Another witness in 2000 claimed to have information placing White at the scene of the Lawrence murder, and evidence showed that his alibi on the night of the murder was false.
In 2020, the Met declared the murder investigation closed, but the new claims have led to demands that it be reopened.
Neville Lawrence said: “They should reopen the case, it should be left open. They absolutely did not want to catch the murderers, because there are so many errors, so many things they should have done and did not do. I do not have a shred of confidence in the Met. It was wrong to close the case in 2020.”
The force’s deputy assistant commissioner, Matt Ward, said: “Unfortunately, too many mistakes were made in the initial investigation, and the impact of them continues to be seen.”
The Met said White was arrested twice over the killing and that files were sent to the Crown Prosecution Service in 2005 and 2014, which on both occasions decided there was no realistic prospect of conviction.
The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “Full and independent investigation into everything that went wrong is essential.”
