Scotland Yard is ‘urgently assessing’ an admission by David Norris that he was part of the gang that killed the 18-year-old student Stephen Lawrence at a bus stop in 1993
Police could launch a fresh investigation into the Stephen Lawrence murder after one of his killers finally confessed. Scotland Yard said on Friday it was “urgently assessing” an admission by David Norris that he was part of the gang of thugs that knifed the 18-year-old student to death in 1993. The killer claims he punched Stephen but did not stab him.
A Parole Board report revealed the development on Thursday as Norris, 48, makes a bid for freedom having been behind bars since 2011. It raises the possibility that the Met Police could reopen the case after shutting it down five years ago with up to four of the killers having escaped justice.
Asked if the force was planning to start a new probe into Stephen’s murder at a South East London bus stop, a spokeswoman said it was “too early to comment”. She added: “Our objective remains the arrest, prosecution and conviction of all of those responsible for Stephen Lawrence’s murder. We are aware of the Parole Board report and will urgently assess its implications. We will keep the Lawrence family and their representatives updated as our work progresses.”
David McKelvey, a former Met Detective Chief Inspector, said he was sceptical about Norris’ claims but urged police to speak to him. Mr McKelvey said: “He’s kept this secret for all the time he’s been in prison but it’s no surprise that he’s admitting this now because he wouldn’t get parole otherwise.
“But he’s only admitting to a minor part. If he was showing genuine remorse he would be looking to speak to police officers to open a new investigation into who else was involved. Quite rightly, this is one of the most high profile cases in the UK and if he’s finally decided to come clean he should be interviewed to establish the identities of the other people involved.”
Officers are likely to take soundings from Norris’ lawyer about whether he would be willing to speak to them. Stephen’s father Neville told the Mirror last year that he should only be released if he names the other killers.
Neville, 83, said: “I have written a statement and hope to be able to read it at the parole hearing. I want to know if he has any remorse for what he did. If he is freed, is he going to live an ordinary life and not commit further crimes? And he should say who else was involved, he should name them.”
Norris is expected to have a public parole hearing in the coming months. Stephen was stabbed to death by up to six thugs shouting “what, n*****?” as he waited with pal Duwayne Brooks at a bus stop in Eltham, South East London.
The Parole Board ruling said on Thursday: “After the trial, Mr Norris continued to deny the offence. Recent reports now suggest he has accepted he was present at the scene and punched the victim but claims that he did not wield the knife. He does not accept he holds racist views.”
Under the joint enterprise law a defendant is guilty of murder if they are found to have assisted or encouraged the offence. Norris was finally jailed for Stephen’s murder in 2012, and was given a minimum term of 14 years and three months which, due to time spent on remand, is nearly up.
He told his Old Bailey trial he had forgotten where he was on the night of budding architect Stephen’s murder in Eltham. Norris was caught in 2022 taking selfies on a mobile phone in prison and bragging he would be free in two years.
Norris and Gary Dobson, 48, are the only gang members to be convicted. They were arrested in 2010 after a cold-case review. Dobson received a minimum term of 15 years and two months.
Stephen’s murder led to the 1999 Macpherson Report into racism in the police. The CPS ruled last year four officers involved in the botched Met probe would face no charges. Stephen’s mum Baroness Doreen Lawrence, 72, said the decision was a new low for her family.
