Since Stephen Lawrence was stabbed to death almost six years ago, there have been two police inquiries, two refusals to prosecute by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), a private prosecution by the family, an inquest and a 59-day public inquiry which has produced a 335-page report containing 70 recommendations.Lawyers have joined in with the broad welcome which the report of an inquiry by Sir William Macpherson - published last week - has received.

However, concerns remain over the specific recommendations regarding double jeopardy, and criminal law specialist solicitors have also expressed doubts over the merits of private prosecutions.

A potted history of the Lawrence story illustrates just how complicated events have been since the 18-year-old was brutally murdered at a south-east London bus stop.-- 1993: According to the public inquest into his death, Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a gang of five white youths.

Last week's report says the initial police investigation was 'palpably flawed' and deserves 'severe criticism'.

The CPS made its first decision that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.

The police's first internal review into the handling of the investigation was undertaken.

The report says the reviews conclusions are 'flawed' and 'indefensible'.-- 1994: The CPS decided for the second time that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute.-- 1995: The Lawrence family began a private prosecution.

The report questions the merits of taking this step in the absence of new evidence and against the strong advice of the CPS.

The cases against two of the suspects, Jamie Acourt and David Norris, were dropped at the committal stage in August.-- 1996: The three remaining suspects, Neil Acourt, Luke Knight and Gary Dobson were acquitted.

The judge ruled that the evidence of the main eye witness, Duwayne Brooks, was confused and could not be put to the jury.

The report points out that the three can never be tried again for the same crime under English law and calls for a review of the principle of double jeopardy.-- 1997: An inquest jury returned the verdict that Stephen Lawrence had been the victim of an unlawful killing in an unprovoked racist attack.-- 1998: An inquiry, ordered by Home Secretary Jack Straw and conducted by Sir William Macpherson, sat for 59 days considering matters arising from the death of Stephen Lawrence.-- February 1999: The inquiry report was published and concluded that the investigation into the murder was marred by a combination of professional incompetence, institutional racism and a failure of leadership by senior officers.After publication of the report, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Condon said: 'We feel a sense of shame about the quality of the investigation and in our dealings with the [Lawrence] family'.

But he pled ged that by the time he left the Met in January 2000 he expected the force 'to have demonstrated significant progress on all fronts'.Jane Deighton, the solicitor for Duwayne Brooks - the friend who was with Stephen Lawrence when he died and the only eye witness to the murder - said it was a 'struggle' for those submitting evidence to the inquiry to achieve recognition of the existence of institutional racism.

Ms Deighton added, however, that ultimate recognition has been 'a victory for Mr Brooks, the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and the Lawrence family'.Of concern to lawyers from all sides has been the report's call for a review of double jeopardy, the rule preventing a defendant from being prosecuted more than once for the same crime.

The Lawrence family's solicitor, Imran Khan, immediately said he opposed changes to the rule.

Mr Khan told the Evening Standard the day after the report came out that a change to the rule would threaten the rights of defendants and could lead to police forces allowing investigations to drag on.

He said 'there needed to be a finality to proceedings'.Franklin Sinclair, chairman of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, echoes this view saying there has already been an erosion of a defendant's rights which means the 'cards are stacked against defendants' without the removal of the double jeopardy rule.

Law Society Deputy Vice-President Kamlesh Bahl and former chairwoman of the Equal Opportunities Commission says: 'there are clear reasons why the principle exists but in a case like this, where the system has failed, what do you do to secure justice for families like the Lawrences?'Mr Sinclair also agreed with the report when it questioned the merits of the family proceeding with a private prosecution.

'The CPS can be trusted to make the right decision about whether to prosecute, particularly in such a high profile case where there is pressure on them to secure a conviction.' Ms Deighton was more critical, asking: 'What went wrong with the police and the CPS to make a private prosecution a possibility?'Sadiq Khan, a partner at London firm Christian Fisher, which specialises in civil rights, says the report's recommendation that the Race Relations Act 1976 should be extended to all public bodies is of 'fundamental importance'.

Once the police have been included in race legislation, the chief constable or commissioner will be vicariously liable for the conduct of officers when a party complains that they have been treated less favourably because of race, he says.Sadiq Khan adds that currently the CRE has no power to investigate a public body such as the police.

He explains that if its powers are extended, the CRE will be able to investigate matters such as the low recruitment rate of ethic minorities into the forces.

He adds that the CRE would also be able to consider complaints arising on issues such as 'stop and search', which the report mentions specifically as one where ethnic communities maintain discrimination is a 'major element'.Ms Bahl says the inclusion of the police in race relations legislation and the extension of the CRE's powers to investigate complaints against the police, are ways for the police to work towards the restoration of public confidence.

Ms Bahl says acting to restore confidence is critical, particularly in the light of another report published this week by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, showing that little has been done by the police to implement the 20 recommendations which were made in its initial report in 1997 to improve police community and ra ce relations.