The Parole Board has rejected a bid for freedom by David Norris, one of two men convicted of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, ruling that he remains a risk to the public. Norris, 49, had applied to be released or moved to an open prison, claiming he had reformed and ceased to be a racist. The board, however, found evidence of continued racist attitudes long after the offence.
Details from the ruling reveal that Norris continued to display bigotry while in prison, including abusing black and Muslim inmates, and was found to have drugs, mobile phones and a weapon. He was also suspected in 2023 of grooming a vulnerable young inmate into racist ideology, with prison intelligence describing him as a "fully fledged member" of the English Defence League. Norris had previously been described as a "massive racist" by prison security in 2017.
In his parole hearing, Norris admitted for the first time that he had punched Stephen Lawrence and was present at the attack. He claimed that as the group ran away, he saw another person holding a knife, suggesting he knows who carried out the fatal stabbing, but he has refused to name that individual. The Parole Board recorded that he told a prison psychologist he "thinks he knows the person that did stab the victim".
Stephen's mother, Doreen Lawrence, called the parole application "a gross manipulation of the process" and said Norris "remains, in my view, a dangerous racist who should never be let out of prison". She urged police to interview Norris about his admission and identify the other perpetrators. Stephen's father, Neville Lawrence, said he continued to hope Norris would reveal the truth about the other murderers so they could be brought to justice.
Norris was convicted in 2012 alongside Gary Dobson for the murder of Stephen Lawrence, who was 18 when he was fatally stabbed at a bus stop in south-east London in April 1993. Norris was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months. He had earlier denied involvement but later changed his account. The Metropolitan Police said its objective remains "the arrest, prosecution and conviction of all those responsible for Stephen's murder" and that it backs a review into potential new opportunities for justice.
