Wright: 'newspaper continues to enjoy a fantastic relationship with the Lawrences'
The Daily Mail's former crime editor has defended his paper's decision to publish leaked information which a police chief said had a "negative" effect on the progress of the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation.
Stephen Wright, who is now the paper's associate news editor, told the Leveson inquiry that the Mail would not have "run this story if we thought it would jeopardise the investigation".
Earlier today, Metropolitan police detective chief inspector Clive Driscoll told the inquiry that a November 2007 Mail article about a meeting between the police and the Lawrence family "was particularly damaging as it undermined our relationship with the family".
Driscoll said: "I have admiration for what the paper did for supporting the family and for Mr Wright pursuing it. The bit I can't understand is why they would do anything to undermine it. It had a negative effect on the investigation."
Wright responded this afternoon: "With these stories, there's a judgement issue from the newspaper perspective.
"I would say that in my experience these iconic cases, when there are developments in them, it can be very difficult for the police to control the flow of information.
"We would not have run that story had the police objected, nor would we have run this story if we thought it would jeopardise the investigation.
"These are finely balanced decisions. A lot of things are considered."
He added: "My newspaper continues to enjoy a fantastic relationship with the Lawrences and this story was hugely in the public interest."
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