Freshly disclosed official documents have exposed a violent prison clash between two notorious criminals: David Norris, one of the killers of Stephen Lawrence, and Hashem Abedi, convicted for his role in planning the Manchester Arena terror attack.
A Prison Confrontation Revealed
The incident occurred within the high-security walls of HMP Belmarsh. According to a parole board report, David Norris, 49, confronted Hashem Abedi, 28, labelling him a "terrorist" and unleashing a torrent of abuse. Norris later admitted that life behind bars had "got too much" and he had turned on Abedi.
While Norris accepted he had threatened and sworn at the convicted plotter, he denied using a specific racial slur. However, the official report noted his account was inconsistent. His prison offender manager stated Norris had confessed to using derogatory racist language in the past when unable to manage his emotions, aiming to cause hurt, which included racist remarks and comments on physical attributes.
Pattern of Racist and Violent Conduct
The documents paint a picture of Norris's continued aggressive and bigoted behaviour in custody. He allegedly used a racist term against a prison officer in a segregation yard, telling the worker he was preparing to assault other inmates. When challenged, Norris claimed he was treated differently from Muslim prisoners and argued he could say what he wanted as he was already serving a life sentence.
Further reports detailed that Norris had thrown excrement at Black and Muslim prisoners during exercise periods and called one inmate a "filthy f***ing animal". Norris conceded some truth to these allegations but argued the exact terminology reported was "not exactly 100% true", citing a general atmosphere of fighting and verbal conflict in the prison at the time.
Motivations and Aftermath
In a surprising claim within the parole documents, Norris said he had been raising money for the victims of the Manchester Arena attack, which Abedi helped his brother Salman plan in 2017. Norris told officials, "terrorism has always riled me, going back to the IRA," but accepted it was "not his place to be dishing out justice". He claimed everyone in prison "took umbrage" with Abedi.
The revelations come from a parole board report assessing Norris's suitability for release, which ultimately resulted in him remaining incarcerated. The details underscore the ongoing challenges of managing high-profile, violent offenders within the UK's prison system and the enduring impact of their crimes on the public consciousness.
