Witness call in Lawrence case probe

Lawyers reviewing allegations of corruption in the original police investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence have repeated calls for witnesses to come forward.

A team led by Mark Ellison QC has started work looking into the accusations and is expected to report in July next year.

Mr Ellison is working with fellow barrister Alison Morgan. The pair successfully prosecuted Gary Dobson and David Norris earlier this year for the racist murder of Mr Lawrence in 1993.

They are setting out to examine whether there is evidence that provides reasonable grounds to suspect any officer acted corruptly during the initial investigation, and whether there are any further lines of investigation linked to alleged corruption.

The team will also look at whether the Macpherson Inquiry - the probe that concluded the Metropolitan Police was "institutionally racist" after the original failure to solve Mr Lawrence's murder - was given all the relevant material connected to possible corruption.

The review team can be contacted via email at SLAM@6kbw.com or SLMEQC@qebhw.co.uk; or by post at: The Stephen Lawrence Review, PO Box 70744, London, EC4P 4DT.

Mr Lawrence was stabbed to death by a gang of five or six attackers in Eltham, south-east London, at the age of 18.

The original investigation into his death was dogged by allegations of corruption and racism in the police force.

Only two of his killers have been convicted. Dobson and Norris were found guilty by a jury at the Old Bailey at the start of this year, after a cold case review team found tiny traces of forensic evidence linking them to the murder.