David Norris, one of the men convicted of the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence, has made a limited confession at his parole hearing, expressing remorse but refusing to name his accomplices. The 49-year-old, who was convicted in 2011, spoke publicly for the first time at the hearing, saying he was deeply sorry for the attack in which he punched Lawrence on the back of the head while he was crouched on the ground.
However, Norris refused to identify the four or five other attackers who were with him on the night of 22 April 1993. His first appearance at a Parole Board hearing was video-streamed to a room at the Royal Courts of Justice. Doreen Lawrence, Stephen's mother, called him a coward for not showing his face and for failing to name the other killers.
Speaking outside the court, Doreen Lawrence said: 'The only person he feels sorry for is himself. As far as I am concerned he is a coward. He refused to show his face. He needs to look me in the eye and tell me exactly what he did and why he did it.' She added that it had been 'incredibly painful' to listen to the proceedings but that it was vital the hearing was held in public.
All witnesses except one said they did not believe Norris was ready to be freed. Lawrence stated: 'The evidence to me is crystal clear. He is not safe to be released. He is a danger to the public and a danger to people like me. He was a violent racist and is still a violent racist. He has not changed.'
Norris admitted his involvement in Lawrence's murder in 2018 when he confessed to a Catholic priest. Doreen Lawrence called on the Metropolitan Police to urgently investigate after Norris said he would not name the others involved due to fears for his family's safety. 'This person can name the other killers and says he would love to do so,' she said. 'The police must do everything in their power to obtain that evidence and bring all of Stephen's murderers to justice.'
The Met's deputy assistant commissioner, Matt Ward, said officers were closely monitoring the hearing and remained committed to achieving the arrest, prosecution and conviction of all those responsible. A review of investigations since October 2013 has been commissioned from the College of Policing, conducted independently of the Metropolitan Police.
