Mum of Stephen Lawrence, Baroness Dorren Lawrence, spoke outside the court after watching the video stream of one of her son’s killers, David Norris, during his parole hearing
Stephen Lawrence’s mother has branded one of his killers a “coward” as he makes a bid for freedom.
Baroness Doreen Lawrence was speaking after watching the video stream of David Norris’ parole hearing over the last two days at the Royal Courts of Justice. Refusing to name him, Lady Lawrence said outside of the court: “He says he’s sorry for the pain he has caused me and my family.
“I didn’t believe him and the only person he is sorry for is himself. As far as I’m concerned he’s a coward. He refused to show his face. He needs to look me in the eye and tell me what he did and why he did it.”
READ MORE: Stephen Lawrence killer is ‘unreliable narrator of his own life’, parole board told
Lady Lawrence, 72, said on Wednesday that it had been “incredibly painful” for her to listen to Norris, who she referred to as “this person”. She said: “He’s a racist who, with others, murdered my son Stephen. I will not name him. It was vital that this hearing took place in public so everyone could see and hear what was said by him.
“The evidence to me is crystal clear, he’s not safe to be released, he’s 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. It has been numbing and incredibly frustrating to sit and listen to him describe the murder of my son but he’s not telling the truth.
“He was, and remains, a liar. Only if he tells the full truth can anyone, including me, start to think he’s sorry. If he was truly sorry he would tell us the whole truth and I was hoping and believing that might happen over the last two days. It has added to the pain and hurt that I still feel that he has not done so. This man only feels sorry for himself and he is just saying things which he thinks will get him released. He is trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. The parole board should not fall for his lies and deception.”
Norris, 49, was convicted of Stephen’s racist murder at the Old Bailey in 2011 and jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months in January 2012. His minimum sentence expired in December 2024, and this is the first time that he has been considered for release.
Today, the hearing heard how Norris is an “unreliable narrator of his own life”. Giving evidence to the hearing on Wednesday, a jail psychologist said he was: “Not the most reliable narrator of his own life for whatever reason.”
The witness added: “Hearing the evidence it was quite confusing, as to sometimes admitting something, sometimes going back on that, being confused around dates.” He went on: “I think sometimes he has good memory, good detail for certain things, other times less so… He’s obviously very careful about what he wants to admit to.”
The psychologist said he spent around nine hours with Norris spread over five meetings to assess him. The parole hearing is taking place in a prison, and is being video streamed to a room in the Royal Courts of Justice where members of the public and media are able to observe proceedings.
Norris, wearing a gre long-sleeved top and using a hearing loop, has only been visible from behind during the hearing. He has spent around two years in his current prison, where he works in the servery – where food is prepared and distributed, the hearing heard.
A prison key worker said he had come to the unit wanting to work on “reactions and perceptions of rudeness towards him”. The prison psychologist said Norris has a lack of racial awareness, and is more likely to use racist language during times of mental ill health or frustration.
On Tuesday, Norris was repeatedly asked who he was with on the night of Stephen’s murder in 1993, but refused to name the other culprits, saying he feared for his family’s safety. He also denied using racist and abusive language while in prison.
Norris was said to have said “n*****” in October 2022, and referred to a prison nurse as a “horrible c***” the same year. Filmed from behind, Norris was allowed to read a statement before being questioned.
He said he wanted to “express my genuine remorse” for Stephen’s death. He said he was: “Deeply sorry for the murder and with this comes guilt that has been a very heavy burden on my shoulders. I will go to my grave with that guilt.”