Mother of Stephen Lawrence 'loses trust' over smear claims
The mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence has said it will "take a while to gain back trust again" after she met Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe to discuss claims that undercover officers hunted for information to smear her family.
Doreen Lawrence visited New Scotland Yard to discuss the allegations about the activities of the Special Demonstration Squad with the commissioner.
Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Lawrence said:
Sir Bernard said earlier that during the meeting with Mrs Lawrence he would try and answer some of the 13 questions that her lawyer Imran Khan submitted to the force. Mrs Lawrence said:
Sir Bernard said he was "pleased" after meeting with Mrs Lawrence, but added that it was not for him to call for a public inquiry - but for the Home Secretary.
The meeting comes as Greater Manchester Police (GMP) begin their own Lawrence investigation.
It was claimed that GMP issued a memo to officers at the force to gather information on groups attending the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in Manchester in 1998.
In a statement, the force said:
GMP assistant chief constable Dawn Copley said the force referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission over the matter - and officers were continuing to look for the memo.
Stephen's father Neville wants a judge-led public inquiry, claiming that the current investigations are not enough to get to the truth.