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Neville Lawrence has declared that one of his son's killers should reveal the other gang members involved in the murder before being considered for early release.

Release Review Nears for Convicted Killer

Stephen's father, 83 years old, is awaiting David Norris's initial hearing before the release committee where he will plead for his release.

Norris, currently 49, was given to a life sentence with a minimum term of over 14 years in January 2012, more than 18 years after Stephen was murdered by a racially motivated group while running to catch a bus home.

Unique Hearing Arrangements

The release review will take place in prison with a live stream transmitted to a hearing room at the Royal Courts of Justice. Norris will appear on camera, but just the rear view will be visible to observers.

Authorization was given for his parole hearing to be public after news outlets petitioned with the backing of Stephen's parents, with Neville Lawrence stating: "Increased public visibility, the better."

Admission and Partial Acceptance

In official documents detailing the decision, it was revealed that Norris now accepts he was present at the location of the murder, but asserts that he only punched Stephen and was not fatally wounded him.

Lawrence stressed the importance of hearing Stephen's killers being named and brought to justice. "It's important for me because of their actions," he stated.

"They destroyed my life. They've caused me not to be able to live in this country. They've robbed me of the opportunity of seeing my son getting married, of having his grandchildren."

"This man has robbed me of so much that there is no possibility I can even start to think that he should be allowed to walk free."

Case Background

Police investigators believe Stephen was killed by a gang of as many as six people in southeast London, with just two having been brought to justice – Norris and Gary Dobson.

The two men were found guilty by a jury at the Old Bailey based on minute DNA evidence collected using cutting-edge techniques.

Additional individuals in the case included the Acourt brothers, who have since been convicted of unrelated drug offences, and Luke Knight. A sixth suspect, Matthew White, died in 2021.

Current Investigation

The police standards body is leading a examination of the most recent stage of the investigation into Stephen's death following the guilty verdicts of Dobson and Norris.

Family's Anguish

Lawrence voiced being "disappointed" at the pace of the legal process.

He has previously said he would be willing to pardon his son's killers if they demonstrated regret. He stated that naming names would be a sign Norris was sorry and of a potential change in outlook.

"Were I on that release committee, he would have to do that before I even think of him being released."

He continued: "He should name the rest of the people that were with him. He could name the person that fatally wounded Stephen and make a formal apology to my family for murdering my son."

He commented: "I doubt he'll make a public apology to us," adding: "While I'm partial but I don't believe he should be able to roam freely – my son can't."

Tragic Events

Stephen was on his way to board public transport with his friend Duwayne Brooks in southeast London in spring 1993 when he was set upon and murdered by a gang who used racist terms before they struck.

Police Failures

Poor handling and allegations of corruption, focused on Norris's drug dealer father, plagued the investigation into Stephen's death for years.

There was also public anger when it emerged that police spies from the Metropolitan police had monitored activists assisting the family.

In 1999, a public inquiry into Stephen's death found that the force was systematically discriminatory.