Stephen Lawrence killer admits role but refuses to name accomplices

One of the men convicted of murdering Stephen Lawrence has admitted he was part of the attack on the teenager but refused to name the other killers.

It is the first time since Stephen was murdered in the racist stabbing in April 1993 that one of his killers has publicly admitted being involved.

David Norris was giving evidence via a video link from prison during a public parole hearing in which he is bidding for release on licence.

Stephen's mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, says Norris remains a danger to the public and must remain in prison and justice secretary is also opposing his release.

Stephen, 18, was stabbed by a gang as he waited at bus stop in Eltham, south-east London in April 1993.

The parole hearing is taking place 13 years after Norris and another man, Gary Dobson, were found guilty of Stephen's murder and handed life sentences at the Old Bailey.

Only Norris and Dobson have ever been brought to justice, with four other suspects never convicted.

Norris elected not to face the camera, with only his back visible on screen at the parole hearing. He could be seen in a black T-shirt, glasses and with greying hair.

Norris said he and his family would be "at risk" if he gave details about the others responsible for Stephen's murder.

Asked if any of the group had a weapon that night, he said: "I am not here to discuss other people, I am here to take responsibility for my part in what happened, my actions."

He said: "In an ideal world I could tell them the whole truth of my part and others.

"I can't give them everything they wish as it would pose a risk to me and my family."

Describing the night of Stephen's murder, Norris said he had been on a date and saw a group of people that he knew.

Norris said he was ready for violence "at the drop of a hat", and that there was a "gang mentality" among the group.

Witness evidence in the case records that an extreme racist slur was used towards Stephen and his friend Duwayne Brooks just before the gang attacked.

In his evidence today, Norris said he remembered Mr Brooks running away as the gang struck, adding: "It was such a quick incident that I'm not sure if he knew what was going on."

Referring to use of the racist abuse, Norris said he thought it was directed at Mr Brooks, not Stephen.

Norris said he was the last person to punch Stephen, and had hit him two or three times.

"It was 10 seconds or less, I didn't have time to think. It was an impulse reaction," he said.

For decades Norris publicly denied involvement in the murder, giving no-comment interviews to police, and claiming he was innocent during his trial.

However, the hearing heard confirmation that he had admitted involvement since being in prison, but denies stabbing Stephen or using a knife.

It also heard Norris continued to use racist language in prison, with him having been recorded in 2022 using the same racial slur that was hurled at Stephen before he was stabbed.

The parole board is hearing three days of evidence this week before deciding whether Norris is safe to be released on licence. The panel hearing the evidence could also recommend that he move to an open prison, or direct that he should remain in a closed prison.

The hearing itself is taking place in an unnamed prison, with a video stream to the Royal Courts of Justice in London for Stephen's family, the press and public.

The parole board will decide whether to release Norris later this month.

Dobson is also still in prison, having been sentenced to life - with a minimum of 15 years and two months.

Three of the original prime suspects - brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt, and Luke Knight - have never been convicted and remain free. One other suspect has since died.

Norris was asked directly by the panel chair if brothers the Acourt brothers were part of the group who killed Stephen.

He said: "I am not gonna be sitting here talking about other people."

He also refused to say whether Dobson was part of the group.

Norris denied wanting to protect the other killers, saying he would "love" to give full details but could not due to the safety concerns for his family.

Earlier, Imran Khan KC, Baroness Lawrence's solicitor, read a statement on her behalf at the hearing, while Norris watched on from prison.

Baroness Lawrence watched him on the screen.

She refused to use Norris's name, saying he "does not deserve to be named by me".

Baroness Lawrence said he "killed my son in the most brutal and callous fashion. In doing so he changed my life and life of my family members forever".

Baroness Lawrence said the murder had led to her becoming divorced from her husband, suffering extraordinarily painful mental health, having to fight for decades to get justice and thereby losing her privacy, and being harassed and vilified by people who applauded her son's killers.

She said she could not forgive Norris because he has not "expressed any acceptance, any contrition and certainly has no humanity".

"If he did, he would have told us what he did, why he did and taken responsibility for his murderous actions," she said.

She said anyone who does not accept what they have done and shown remorse for it "remains in my view a danger to the public".

She added: "I simply cannot see him walking the streets of our diverse country without thinking that he would harm someone like me – a black person."

Her statement quoted from extreme racist language which Norris was recorded expressing by a police bug the year after Stephen was murdered. In one recording, Norris had fantasised about torturing black people.

Baroness Lawrence said: "Any person who expresses views like these and does not recant is an obvious danger to society and must remain in custody."

Norris's admission has created an extraordinary situation: he is seeking to be released from a prison sentence for a crime he admits carrying out, while most of those responsible have never been held to account.

Norris claims to have changed his mind on accepting being involved after watching a documentary featuring Stephen's father, Neville Lawrence.

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the hearing, Dr Lawrence said Norris should name the other killers before he can be judged to be safe for release from prison.

He said: "I wouldn't think that he's generally changed his behaviour and mind, if he doesn't name all the others that was with him."