The public parole hearing for one of Stephen Lawrence's killers has been delayed after crucial information failed to reach the panel. David Norris was scheduled to make his bid for freedom on Wednesday and Thursday but the hearing has been adjourned.
Norris was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months in 2012. He and Gary Dobson were convicted of murder in 2011, nearly 20 years after Stephen's racist killing in south-east London.
Missing information halts proceedings
A Parole Board spokesperson said the hearing had to be adjourned because information directed by the panel was not made available for the case. Without all proper information, the panel cannot consider a parole review, they explained.
The panel's priority must be to ensure relevant information is available so they can thoroughly review potential risks and ensure public protection. A new date will be set for the public hearing once the information has been provided.
The original attack in 1993
Stephen was on his way to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in Eltham in April 1993 when he was set upon and killed. A gang of five or six attackers used a racist term before they struck the 18-year-old.
Incompetence and allegations of corruption dogged the investigation into Stephen's death for years. The corruption allegations centred around Norris's drug dealer father Clifford Norris.
Police failings exposed
There was also outrage when it emerged that undercover officers from the Metropolitan Police had spied on justice campaigners supporting the family. In 1999 a public inquiry into the case found that the force was institutionally racist.
This conclusion was repeated by Baroness Casey in 2023 in her review following the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer. Parole hearings are normally held in private, but a public hearing was allowed in Norris's case after an application by the media backed by Stephen's parents.
Norris admits presence at scene
In a document outlining the decision, it was revealed that Norris now accepts that he was present at the scene of the murder. However, he claims that he punched Stephen and was not the person who stabbed him.
The other suspects in the case were Jamie and Neil Acourt, who have since been convicted of unrelated drugs offences, and Luke Knight. A sixth suspect, Matthew White, died in 2021.
The College of Policing is leading a review of the most recent stage of the investigation into Stephen's death after Dobson and Norris were convicted.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
