Baroness Doreen Lawrence has made a powerful plea for police to re-interview one of her son's killers, following the man's failed bid for freedom. David Norris, 49, was denied parole on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, after a public hearing held in October.
A 'Dangerous Racist' Denied Freedom
In a strongly-worded statement issued after the Parole Board's decision was made public, Baroness Lawrence condemned Norris's application as a 'gross manipulation of the process'. She dismissed his claims of remorse and of no longer being a threat to the public.
'He was anything but remorseful and remains, in my view, a dangerous racist who should never be let out of prison,' she stated. The peer described being put through two days of anguish during the hearing, only for Norris to withhold the crucial information she has sought for decades.
A Mother's Unanswered Questions
Baroness Lawrence revealed that she had hoped the parole hearing might finally reveal who delivered the fatal blows to her son. 'I have been cruelly deprived of that knowledge by a man... who chose not to name the other murderers, despite accepting he could,' she said.
She has now directly called on the police to act. 'I now call on the police to interview him and find out who else was responsible. Justice for me and my family is still possible,' she asserted, criticising the Metropolitan Police for making 'no effort to follow up on the admission he made'.
The Long Shadow of an Unresolved Case
Stephen Lawrence was just 18 years old when he was murdered by a gang of racists in an unprovoked attack in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993. His death became a landmark case, exposing institutional racism within the police and leading to major changes in the law and police practice.
To this day, only two of the killers have been convicted: David Norris and Gary Dobson, who were found guilty in 2011. During the recent parole hearing, Norris spoke publicly about his role for the first time but pointedly refused to name his accomplices, even Dobson.
Baroness Lawrence accused him of cowardice, saying his focus was solely on how his imprisonment affected him. 'He completely failed to acknowledge the life he took or the deep and lasting impact his actions have had on my family and me,' she said.
While she described the parole denial as 'a step in the right direction', Baroness Lawrence made it clear that her fight for full justice and answers is far from over. The lasting impact of the racist murder, she concluded, continues to this day.
