Probe into death threats against Baroness Lawrence

Details emerged during Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Howe’s evidence session in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee.

Committee chair Keith Vaz MP said: “I spoke to Baroness Lawrence, she said she had a meeting with you, in which it was put to her that you had evidence of people making death threats against her.

“This was done in the presence of a solicitor, yet nothing has happened as far as she can see with regards to anyone coming back to her to tell us about this very serious issue.”

Later, Scotland Yard said that a private meeting with the Commissioner on March 13, Baroness Lawrence had mentioned threats made to the Stephen Lawrence Trust Twitter account, and that an officer is investigating.

The force said: “Her legal team were contacted shortly after the meeting in relation to the inquiry and permission sought to access the Stephen Lawrence Foundation Twitter account, as this was the account receiving the threat.”

Inquiries were continuing.

Sir Bernard came under pressure from the group of MPs over claims exposed by the Stephen Lawrence review that police officers shredded “possibly thousands” of anti-corruption files.

The Met chief admitted he had not contacted his predecessors over the claims and revealed he had not asked to see a memo that reportedly summarises contents of the now-destroyed files, which contain evidence of wholesale criminal behaviour by trusted police officers.