Stephen Lawrence’s father calls for killer to name names before being released

Stephen Lawrence’s father says one of his son’s killers should name the other members of the gang who murdered him before being considered for parole.

Neville Lawrence, 83, is preparing for David Norris, 49, to appear before a parole board for the first time to plead for his freedom.

Norris, now 49, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months in January 2012, more than 18 years after Stephen was murdered by a racist gang as he ran for a bus home.

His parole hearing will take place in prison with a video feed livestreamed to a courtroom in the Royal Courts of Justice.

Norris will be on camera, but only the back of his head will be visible.

Permission was given for his parole hearing to take place in public after an application by the media was backed by Stephen’s parents, with Mr Lawrence saying, “the more people that can see the better”.

In a document outlining the decision, it was revealed that Norris now accepts that he was present at the scene of the murder, but claims that he punched Stephen and was not the person who stabbed him.

Mr Lawrence said it is important for him to hear Stephen’s killers being named and for them to be brought to justice.

“It’s important for me because of what these people have done,” he said.

“They ruined my life. They’ve caused me not to be able to live in this country.

“They’ve robbed me of the chance of seeing my son getting married, of having (his) grandchildren.

“This man has robbed me of so much that there is no way I can even start to think that he should be allowed to walk free.”

Police believe Stephen was killed by a gang of up to six people in Eltham, south-east London, two of whom have been brought to justice – Norris and Gary Dobson.

The pair were found guilty by a jury at the Old Bailey on the basis of tiny forensic traces gathered using cutting-edge techniques.

The other suspects in the case were Jamie and Neil Acourt, who have since been convicted of unrelated drug offences, and Luke Knight.

A sixth suspect, Matthew White, died in 2021.

The College of Policing is leading a review of the most recent stage of the investigation into Stephen’s death after Dobson and Norris were convicted.

Mr Lawrence said he is “frustrated” at the pace of the justice system.

Mr Lawrence has previously said he would be prepared to forgive his son’s killers if they showed remorse. He said that naming names would be a sign Norris is sorry and of a potential change in attitude.

He said: “If I was on that parole board, he would have to do that before I even think of him coming out.”

He added: “He could name the rest of the people that were with him.

“He could name the person that actually stabbed Stephen and make a public apology to my family for killing my son.”

He said “I don’t think he’ll make a public apology to us”, adding: “I may be biased but I don’t think he should be able to walk the street free – my son can’t.”

Stephen was on his way to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in Eltham in April 1993 when he was set upon and killed by a gang who used a racist term before they struck.

Incompetence and allegations of corruption, centred around Norris’s drug dealer father Clifford Norris, dogged the investigation into Stephen’s death for years.

There was also outrage when it emerged that undercover officers from the Metropolitan Police had spied on justice campaigners supporting the family.

In 1999, a public inquiry into Stephen’s death found that the force was institutionally racist.

Published: 07/10/2025 by Radio NewsHub