Senior Met Police officer moved from post over Lawrence report

A senior Metropolitan Police Officer in charge of a counter-terrorism unit has been moved from his role in the wake of revelations from the report into the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation, Scotland Yard said today.

Commander Richard Walton has been temporarily moved from his post as Head of the Counter Terrorism Command, SO15, to a non-operational role, following the publication of the Ellison Report.

ITV News' Juliet Bremner reports:

The Ellison report, published yesterday, said a "police spy" had been working within the Lawrence family camp and that one of the officers in the original murder investigation may have acted corruptly.

The report also claimed that an undercover officer - known as N81 - held a meeting with Richard Walton in 1998, who was then involved with preparing the force's submission to the Macpherson inquiry into Stephen's death.

However, the meeting was never disclosed at the time of the original inquiry.

Following Scotland Yard's decision, Mr Walton, who was appointed to the head of the Counter Terrorism Command in June 2011, said: "I welcome any scrutiny of my role in these events over more than 16 years ago, including in the forthcoming public inquiry."

The head of the Metropolitan Police told ITV News that Mr Walton had been temporarily moved from his "very sensitive post" as a result of the claims.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said it was vital the Metropolitan Police take the allegations "seriously and do something about it".

Sir Bernard added that it was "pretty awful" to hear the findings of the report into Stephen Lawrence's murder investigation.

"As a professional police officer and then to see the reaction of Mr and Mrs Lawrence who were clearly distraught by what it had heard having lost their son so many years ago, at any level, human or professional, it is pretty awful to hear that list of terrible events," he said.

Watch: Neville Lawrence sheds tears during May announcement

David Cameron said the Lawrence family had "suffered far too much" in their wait for the truth.

The Prime Minister said a public inquiry into the work of undercover policing will "make sure we get to the truth".

Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Paul Condon, said he did not authorise, or encourage any action to target the Lawrence family.

The peer, who held the post between 1993 and 2000, said: "At no stage did I ever authorise, or encourage, or know about any action by any undercover officer in relation to Mr and Mrs Lawrence or their friends or supporters or the Macpherson Inquiry hearings."

"Had I known, I would have stopped this action immediately as inappropriate."

Watch: Baroness Lawrence fights back tears in Lords

In other developments, the chair of the IPCC Dame Anne Owers apologised to Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Neville Lawrence, parents of murdered teenager Stephen, for the police watchdog's part in prolonging the "family's search for the truth".

Duwayne Brooks, who was with Stephen Lawrence on the night he was murdered in 1993, called on the Home Secretary to "remedy the wrongs" exposed by the Ellison review into the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation.

Watch: Lawrence 'really disgusted' spy was put in family camp