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killer of stephen lawrence has said he is “deeply sorry” to the family of a murdered teenager for his part in a racist murder – but insisted he cannot name her accomplices.
david norris Told a parole board hearing that he was “ashamed and ashamed of myself” for taking part in the 1993 stabbing, but said that if he divulged details of others involved, he and his family would be “at risk”.
Speaking publicly for the first time about his role in infamous murderHe said he was trapped in a “gang mentality” as he described punching the 18-year-old aspiring architect as he was tackled to the ground.
Questioned whether any of the group had a weapon, he told the parole hearing: “I’m not here to discuss other people, I’m here to take responsibility for my part in what happened, my actions.”
He said: “In an ideal world I would like to be able to share and tell my part and other people’s whole truth, but I unfortunately can’t because it would put me and my family at risk.”
Only two of Mr Lawrence’s six alleged attackers Norris faced justice after being jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years, along with Gary Dobson, who must serve a minimum of 15 years in a trial hinged on little trace of forensic evidence in 2012.
A panel of experts from parole board Now it has to be decided whether he is safe to be released or taken to an open prison.
In a prepared statement at the beginning of his testimony, Norris, now 49, apologized to the Lawrence family and the entire black community for his crime.
“The crime I have committed all these years has been a very heavy burden on my shoulders,” he said, adding Mr Lawrence was “completely innocent”.
He admitted he was a “violent, racist” 16-year-old who was “fixated on becoming a gangster” when he targeted Mr Lawrence and his friend Duwayne Brooks. Eltham, south-east LondonIn 1993.
“It also affected the broader community, particularly the black community,” he said.
“This will have made some, if not all, not feel safe walking the streets of London and I want to sincerely apologize to the entire black and ethnic community for the fear I have caused.”
However Mr Lawrence’s grieving mother told the panel he was a “clear danger to society” and should not be released.
In a statement read out by his lawyer Imran Khan, Baroness Doreen Lawrence said: “I am of the view that this individual is a risk to society and dangerous.
“I simply could not see him walking the streets of his diverse country saying he would harm someone like me – a black man – someone he described as wanting to kill and torture.”
She recalled hearing a shocking secret police recording of Norris and Dobson from 1994, known as the Footscray Tapes, in which Norris discussed how he would “kill every black c***” he knew.
They later discussed taking two submachine guns to Catford, a diverse area of south-east London.
“Anyone who expresses such views and does not recant is a clear threat to society and should remain in custody,” Baroness Lawrence said.
She said Norris forced her to listen to “denial after denial” during her 2012 trial, adding that he did not show “a hint of empathy or consideration for what I or my family had been through.”
The mother said as a Christian, she believes in forgiveness, but she cannot forgive him until he takes “responsibility for his murderous actions”.
Mr Lawrence’s father agreed that his son’s killer had not shown “genuine remorse”, adding that “justice has not been served” if Norris is released without the names of the other members of the gang who murdered his son.
Dr. Lawrence said there were times when he did not think he would survive his 18-year battle to bring his son’s killers to justice, during which his marriage to Baroness Lawrence collapsed.
In her opening comments, the panel’s chair, Cassie Williams, said Mr Lawrence’s murder was a “terrible crime” which had a “profound impact on society”.
Referring to the judge’s sentencing comments when Norris was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months in 2012, he said the judge said he had “not shown the slightest remorse” and had “lied to the court”.
Norris finally admits that he was at the scene of the murder in advance of his bid for freedom, which is being held publicly.
Ahead of the hearing, Mr Lawrence’s father said Norris should not be considered for parole unless he names other members of the racist gang.
83 year old Dr. Lawrence said it is important to him to name his son’s killers and bring them to justice.
“It’s important to me because of what these guys have done,” he said.
“He ruined my life. He has caused me to not be able to live in this country. He has robbed me of the chance to marry his son, to have (his) grandson.
“This man has robbed me so much that there is no way I can even begin to think that he should be allowed to walk free.”
A police investigation led to the landmark Macpherson Inquiry, which concluded that the Metropolitan Police’s investigation of the murder was tainted by institutional racism.
The hearing is ongoing.