Profiles of the key figures in the case including the gangster father of David Norris and self-confessed corrupt detective

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Clifford Norris: gangster father of David Norris, now convicted of the Lawrence murder. From the start Norris Jr was a suspect and it is alleged his father used his influence to protect him.

Norris Sr was suspected of "involvement in organised crime, including armed robbery, importation and supply of drugs and murder", according to police documents.

Just after Stephen's murder in 1993, Norris Sr came back to Eltham, south London, from a self-imposed exile overseas to keep out of the reach of Customs.

In 2006, he told the Observer: "I never became involved with underhand dealings or giving money to coppers."

In his inquiry, Mark Ellison says: "There was a strong inference that Clifford Norris was a corruptor of police officers and an intimidator of witnesses."

John Davidson: an ex-detective sergeant. His conduct during the initial murder investigation was heavily criticised by the Macpherson inquiry. He controlled much of the flow of information as head of the "outside team".

Davidson denies claims that he was paid by Clifford Norris. He left the Met in 1998 for medical reasons and ran a bar in Spain called The Smugglers. He denies any wrongdoing. In 2006, a senior Met officer, John Yates, told the BBC: "From all the evidence I've seen, and the intelligence I've seen, I have no doubt he was corrupt." But no charges were brought against Davidson.

Neil Putnam: a self-confessed corrupt detective turned supergrass. Putnam claims Davidson told him he was in the pay of Clifford Norris. Putnam claimed Davidson told him: "'Old man Norris' – I assumed Old Man Norris was Clifford – 'had been putting some work our way.'"

The IPCC dismissed a claim from Putnam that he told the Met in 1998 that Davidson had admitted knowing Norris, and the force had covered it up. It found no evidence of a link between Davidson and Norris, nor of any corruption in the first Lawrence murder investigation.

Peter Francis: whistleblower. For four years, he has been revealing details of the work of the Special Demonstration Squad, the covert police unit he worked for.

Between 1993 and 1997, he was sent to infiltrate anti-racist groups. He performed so well that his bosses gave him a commendation "for his outstanding initiative and investigative skills in a prolonged sensitive operation for a four-year period".

DC David Coles: a Met detective constable. The Macpherson inquiry heard that he was seen by customs agents with Clifford Norris in 1987 and 1988 on three occasions. Coles denies any wrongdoing.

David Norris and Gary Dobson: convicted of Stephen's murder in January 2012 after a forensics breakthrough. David is Clifford Norris's son.

Neil Acourt, Jamie Acourt and Luke Knight: three other prime suspects alleged to have been part of the gang that attacked Stephen.

Doreen Lawrence: Stephen's mother who has spearheaded the family campaign for justice, and was honoured with a peerage. She has long believed that corruption shielded her son's killers.

Mark Ellison QC: the senior prosecution barrister who secured convictions against Dobson and Norris in 2012 for Stephen's murder. He rubbished Neil Putnam's credibility while representing the Met, but now appears to have softened his stance in the conclusions of his review.