Stephen Lawrence's mother says killer David Norris still a 'dangerous racist' - as he's denied parole

Stephen Lawrence's mother said one of his killers remains "a dangerous racist" after the parole board rejected his bid for release.

David Norris, 49, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months in January 2012, almost 20 years after Stephen was stabbed to death in a racist attack.

Gary Dobson was also found guilty and jailed after the trial at the Old Bailey, but the rest of the gang of up to six youths involved have never been brought to justice.

Norris spoke publicly for the first time about his role in the attack on Stephen and his friend Duwayne Brooks as they waited for a bus in Eltham, southeast London, on 22 April 1993, at a parole hearing earlier this month.

He told Stephen's family he was "deeply sorry" after he punched Stephen in the back of his head while he was crouched on the ground on his knees.

But Norris, who was 16 at the time, refused to name the rest of the gang, including the member he saw holding a 22cm-long knife after the murder, claiming he feared for his family's safety.

The other suspects, brothers Jamie and Neil Acourt, were later jailed for unrelated drug offences, while Luke Knight has remained free.

They have previously denied being involved in the attack on Stephen, while Matthew White was not named as a suspect until after his death in 2021.

Stephen's mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, 73, called Norris a "coward" and a "liar" after the two-day hearing, which was live-streamed from his prison to the Royal Courts of Justice, where those watching could only see the back of his head.

In a statement after he was refused release from prison, she called his application a "gross manipulation of the process", but said she had hoped the public hearing might have given her the answer as to who delivered the fatal blows to her son.

"I have been cruelly deprived of that knowledge by a man who put me through two days of anguish, knowing full well that he could have given me a crumb of comfort," she said.

"He claimed he was remorseful and no longer a risk to the public. He was anything but remorseful and remains, in my view, a dangerous racist who should never be let out of prison."

Norris said he was no longer the "16-year-old horrible violent racist" involved in the murder and told Stephen's family, "I'm so sorry and please forgive me".

He was moved back up to a category B prison after he was caught with two mobile phones and a screwdriver in his cell in 2022, and also got a tattoo against prison rules.

A dossier of evidence detailed a string of concerns over Norris's racism in prison, dating back to 2013, the year after he was jailed, including a report that he told his daughter he did not want black grandchildren.

The hearing was told he had used racist language, including calling a female prison officer the N-word in October 2023, and was involved in "grooming" a vulnerable young prisoner to join the English Defence League.

Norris said he first confessed to being involved in the murder to a Catholic priest in 2017, but Stephen's family only found out earlier this year as part of the decision that his parole hearing should be held in public.

'Justice for my family is still possible'

Baroness Lawrence called for the Metropolitan Police to interview Norris, adding: "Justice for me and my family is still possible.

"Despite this, the Met has made no effort to follow up on the admission he made. The deep and lasting impact of his murderous act continues even now."

The force closed its investigation in 2020 but the College of Policing has since launched a review of the force's handling of the case, following allegations of racism, incompetence and corruption.

The Met previously said they remain "committed to achieving the arrest, prosecution and conviction of all of those responsible for Stephen's murder".

In a 40-page document rejecting Norris's application for release from prison, the parole board panel said it was not satisfied there is "no more than a minimal risk" of Norris "committing a further offence that would cause serious harm".

"It therefore continues to be necessary for the protection of the public that he remains confined," it said.

The panel found there was a "serious possibility" he had committed other knife attacks - the attempted murder of Stacey Benefield in 1993 of which he was acquitted, and another slashing attack for which he was never charged.

It also said Norris should not be moved to an open prison because of "concerns about his behaviour" and "the lack of consolidation of the work to address the key risk factor of his racist attitudes of beliefs".

Responding to the decision, Baroness Lawrence called Norris "a coward" who "completely failed to acknowledge the life he took or the deep and lasting impact his actions have had on my family and me".

"It was evident that he showed no remorse for his actions or for the pain he had caused to my family and to those who cared for Stephen," she said.

"My fight for justice is not over, but today's decision is a step in the right direction."

(c) Sky News 2025: Stephen Lawrence's mother says killer David Norris still a 'dangerous racist' - as he's denied parole