Stephen Lawrence: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe questioned

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has said he will be meeting the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence and her lawyer Imran Khan at New Scotland Yard on Friday.

Doreen Lawrence has called for a public inquiry into claims of a police smear campaign, after ex-officer Peter Francis said he was asked to pose as an anti-racism campaigner to find "dirt" on the family in the aftermath of Stephen's death.

Stephen, who was black, was 18 when he was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths in an unprovoked attack as he waited at a bus stop in south-east London in April 1993.

Mr Hogan-Howe revealed, while being questioned by the London Assembly's police and crime committee, that Mr Khan had written to him asking "12 or 13 questions", adding that he would "answer them as far as possible".

He said he was "shocked" by the latest smear claim and said, if it turned out to be true, "then it will be a disgrace".

"I don't think it's for me to call for a public inquiry," he added.

"I'm confident what's set up will work so therefore I can hardly call for a public inquiry to substitute for it."

Questioned by London Assembly members including Labour member Jennette Arnold, Mr Hogan-Howe admitted that while he could not be sure that similar incidents could not happen again, he did not believe that it was happening now.

"We are now in a different context... the main reassurance I can offer you is that we are aware it has been alleged in the past, I don't want it to happen in the future... and I don't believe it is happening at the moment," he said.