Neville Lawrence calls for son’s killers to be named as parole hearing nears

LONDON:

Dr Neville Lawrence, father of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a racist attack in April 1993, has called for David Norris, one of two men jailed for his murder to name the others involved.

This comes after a Parole Board report claims that Norris admitted to being in the gang of white thugs who attacked 18-year-old Stephen on the night of April 22 at a bus stop in Eltham, southeast London.

Norris has always denied having anything to do with the knife attack on Stephen although he was eventually jailed along with Gary Dobson, for Stephen’s murder in 2012, and was given a minimum term of 14 years and three months, which is due to end soon.

Dr Lawrence, quoted in an interview with the Mirror newspaper, said anything Norris says should be taken with caution as he tries to persuade officials that he should be released from prison.

Speaking from his home in Jamaica, Dr Lawrence said: “This man has always denied having anything to do with my son’s murder, but now, 32 years on, as he attempts to get out of jail, he says he is guilty to some extent.

“Anything he says must be treated with the utmost caution, but if he now wants to tell the truth, he should name the others who joined him in murdering my son. I would hope that a good detective has already acted on this fresh information and questioned him about this in prison. If this has not happened, I would like to know why not.”

Next month will be 32 years since Stephen was attacked bya group of up to six white thugs as he and his friend, Dwayne Brooks, made their way home from school while waiting at a bus stop on Well Hall Road in Eltham.

His death led to a national outcry against racial violence and justice for him, led by his parents Neville and Doreen Lawrence (now Baroness Lawrence), after political leaders had ignored a spate of murders of young black men in a part of London anti-racist groups had dubbed ‘the racist murder capital of Britain’.

It took six more years before a new Labour government set up the Macpherson public inquiry into the Stephen Lawrence killing. It found the police to be riddled with institutional racism and proposed unprecedented reform of the Met.

In 1999, former Senior Judge Macpherson concluded that institutional racism, at least in part, explained why Stephen’s killers had escaped justice. Police had been incompetent and committed fundamental errors, including failing to give first aid when they reached the scene, failing to follow obvious leads during their investigation, and failing to quickly arrest suspects.

It was not until new evidence came to light in the ongoing police investigation that Norris and Dobson were eventually charged with his murder, and both were sentenced to prison. Norris was given a minimum term of 14 years and three months while Dobson was given a minimum term of 15 years and two months.

Brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt were accused of being part of the gang and have served time for drug dealing. Another, Luke Knight, remained free. All deny involvement in the murder. Matthew White, who died aged 50 in 2021, was named as a sixth suspect.

CASE REMAINS INACTIVE

The Mirror reported that a Scotland Yard spokesperson said the force is urgently reviewing the information in the Parole Board report although the case remains inactive.

Meanwhile, former Met detective Clive Driscoll, who led the successful probe into Norris that led to his conviction, told the Mirror: “Let’s wait and see what Norris has to say. But I would say that if he does now admit he was present during the attack then he will know who else was involved.”

Among those reacting to the news that Norris said he was part of the gang who attacked Stephen is veteran anti-racist activist Lee Jasper, who commented in a post on social media.

Jasper said: “After all these years, he finally admitted what we all knew all along - he was there and he took part. To suggest he merely punched Stephen is an insult to the Lawrence family and the principle of justice. He’s trying to convince the Parole Board that he played a minor role in the murder of Stephen.

“This is simply to meet the criteria that require convicted offenders to admit their guilt before a Parole Board hearing. We all know that as this Parole Board hearing approaches, there will be a torrent of online racism and abuse directed at the Lawrence family.

“We as a community need to prepare ourselves to wrap around and support the Lawrence family as they endure the parody of justice that is about to be inflicted upon them as Norris tries to game the system.”

Norris is due to have a parole hearing in the coming months that will be open to the public.