Stephen Lawrence's mother and brother 'feel threatened'

The mother of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence has revealed that she and her other son have felt threatened.

On BBC's Hardtalk, Doreen Lawrence said she had warned her son, Stuart, to "be very careful when he's out".

She believes the threats to him are because of a complaint lodged with the Metropolitan Police over being stopped and searched.

Stephen Lawrence was killed in a racist attack in south-east London in 1993.

Two men, Gary Dobson and David Norris, were last year convicted of stabbing to death the 18-year-old student in Eltham.

Earlier this month, it emerged that Stuart Lawrence had made a complaint to the Met, claiming that an incident last November in which he was stopped and searched by officers had been because he was black.

His lawyer added that the teacher had faced "harassment" for years, and Stuart Lawrence told the Daily Mail newspaper that he had been stopped up to 25 times over several years.

That complaint had led to the recent threats against 35-year-old Stuart, Mrs Lawrence said.

She added: "I had to say to him yesterday to be very careful when he's out, and I'm always worried about me being outside.

"I try not to be out too late when I'm travelling home and stuff so the fear is always there."

The Met has referred the complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and said it would be investigated "thoroughly and speedily".

The force faced criticism over the original investigation into Stephen Lawrence's death, and was branded institutionally racist in 1999 by the report of a public inquiry into the killing.