Stephen Lawrence police corruption probe under way

Stephen Lawrence was murdered at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993

An investigation into alleged police corruption during the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry is under way, it has been revealed.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed it was investigating allegations relating to the police inquiry in 1993.

It has been investigating since March, the agency said.

The 18-year-old was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack at a bus stop in Eltham by a gang of white youths.

Members of the Lawrence family and their legal representatives have been involved in the inquiry and are being kept updated, the NCA said.

Any findings will be reported back to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and could result in criminal or misconduct proceedings.

Home Secretary Theresa May described previous findings as "deeply troubling"

The new investigation was prompted by the findings of a review in 2014 which named a former undercover Met Police officer and said he spied on the Lawrence family.

The Ellison review also found there remained a number of lines of inquiry relating to allegations Det Sgt John Davidson had acted corruptly, and possibly other officers. Mr Davidson denied the claims.

At the time, Home Secretary Theresa May described the findings as "deeply troubling" and ordered a judge-led public inquiry into undercover policing as a whole.

That inquiry, led by Lord Justice Pitchford, will examine the Stephen Lawrence case amongst others.

A separate investigation is also being carried out by the IPCC, after Mr Lawrence's father, Neville, made a complaint about former Metropolitan Police commissioner John, now Lord, Stevens over claims he withheld evidence from the 1998 Macpherson Inquiry.

The 1998 inquiry was ordered by the then Home Secretary Jack Straw amid concerns about the way the police had handled the case.

Sir William Macpherson, a retired High Court judge, led the inquiry and accused the police of institutional racism after finding a number of failings in how they had investigated the murder.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of murdering 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence and sentenced to minimum terms of 15 years and two months and 14 years and three months in January 2012.