The father of Stephen Lawrence has said he would accept one of the teenager’s killers being released if he can show remorse.
A parole hearing could take place this year in the case of David Norris, one of only two of the killers of the 18-year-old to have been brought to justice.
Stephen’s father, Neville Lawrence, has said he is not satisfied with Norris getting parole, but added that he could accept it if the murderer could show he had changed
“He would have to say he was sorry for killing Stephen and that he had changed his ways and apologise to our family,” he told the Daily Mail.
“I am not satisfied with him getting parole but what I am saying is if he can show remorse and show he’s changed then I will accept that. It’s not that I’m OK with it but, if someone shows they know they did something wrong and have changed, then I can accept that.”
The teenager was murdered by a gang of racists in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993 as he waited for a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks.
Five men were arrested over the murder but the original police investigation was marred by institutional racism in the Metropolitan police, incompetence and alleged corruption. It also emerged years later that undercover police officers had spied on campaigners supporting the Lawrence family in their fight for justice.
Gary Dobson and Norris were found guilty of the murder. Norris, 48, could face a hearing as early as May, the Parole Board has confirmed. His chance to gain freedom will come after his completion of a minimum prison term of 14 years and three months.
Neville Lawrence said he has given a statement to the Parole Board but added that he is yet to decide if he will attend the hearing, which could take as long as a day.
A Parole Board spokesperson said the secretary of state for justice had referred Norris’s case to the Parole Board for a review and that a member of the board had decided an oral hearing should take place after reviewing a dossier of evidence.
“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community,” they added.
“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
Along with an oral hearing involving Norris, there will be evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising him in prison, as well as victim personal statements.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority,” added the spokesperson.
Before he was brought to justice, Norris had long been protected by his father, Clifford, a drug dealer and gangster. A police intelligence map, seen by the Guardian in 2012, put Norris Sr at the head of a crime group which controlled much of south London’s drugs trade in the early 1990s.
The jury was also not told of Norris Jr’s conviction for racially aggravated harassment.
