Hidden Stories of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry

Dr Richard Stone was a panel member of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry into racism in policing (1997/99) as Adviser to the judge Sir William Macpherson. He was then Chair of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality.His Independent Review of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry 10 Years On (richardstonesli.wordpress.com) was launched by the Justice and Home Secretaries at their 10th anniversary conference in February 2009.For 20 years Dr Stone was senior partner of a general medical practice in London. For 14 years he worked with British Muslims as chair of the Runnymede Islamophobia Commission and in 2004 he founded Alif-Aleph UK (British Muslims and British Jews). In 2010 he was awarded the OBE for public and voluntary service.He is an Honorary Fellow of the Cambridge Centre for Muslim-Jewish Relations and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Dept of Criminology at the University of Westminster.

• Introduction; Why there was an inquiry; The Inquiry and how I came to be an Adviser on the panel; Cancellations and reinstatements; The Commissioner takes the stand; Searching for the files of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry; Defining ‘institutional racism’ and the challenge to ‘double jeopardy’; Unprofessional policing and timid leadership; Final reflections; Afterword.

"It is apt and timely that Dr Stone should reveal detail from the (only now available) transcript evidence, modulated through his own cool, scientific and humanely liberal interpretation of this important event. " Dr Bryn Caless, Senior Lecturer in Policing , Canterbury Christ Church University "Going through the Inquiry was a reminder of the pain of losing my son: it was difficult but one I had to sit through. The Inquiry filled in the gaps of what happened the night my son was murdered. The Inquiry also showed me the depth of racism and corruption that existed in the Metropolitan Police Service." Baroness Doreen Lawrence of Clarendon, OBE "Insights into the private considerations of the Stephen Lawrence Murder Inquiry will provide clarity and better understanding about how the combination of prejudice, poor leadership, unaccountable decision-making and abuse of power contribute to institutional discriminatory outcomes." Lord Ouseley of Peckham Rye