Lawrence: No new evidence found

Investigations into allegations of corruption at the heart of the Stephen Lawrence investigation have turned up no new evidence, it has been announced.

Reviews were carried out by both the Metropolitan Police Service and the police watchdog the Independent Complaints Commission (IPCC) after the claims earlier this year.

It followed reports alleging to have uncovered new evidence that corruption may have hampered the original investigation into the racist murder of the teenager in 1993.

David Norris and Gary Dobson were convicted of Stephen's murder in January this year - 19 years after the crime - and sentenced to life at the Old Bailey. Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence called for a fresh public inquiry after it was claimed the Met Police withheld paperwork from the Macpherson Inquiry.

The force launched a review to examine the claims, while the IPCC reviewed its 2006 investigation into complaints following the broadcast that year of the BBC programme The Boys Who Killed Stephen Lawrence.

The watchdog said its review followed reports on allegations made by former Met police officer Neil Putnam about the relationship between former Detective Sergeant John Davidson and Clifford Norris, David Norris's father.

But the IPCC said it found that no new information or evidence has been made available that would lead to a change in the conclusions reached by its original investigation into allegations made by the BBC documentary.

IPCC chief executive Jane Furniss said: "This was a thorough review, entailing consideration of the source material used in the original inquiry and undertaken by an experienced investigator with no previous involvement in the case."

In a separate review, the Met Police's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) looked into claims that the force withheld information from the Lawrence Inquiry. The review found that no investigations, nor the inquiry, uncovered evidence of corruption or collusion which could have influenced the investigations.

The IPCC said it was aware of calls for a new public inquiry but the request involved "issues wider than the IPCC review" and was "a matter for the Home Secretary to consider".