EXCLUSIVE: Stephen Lawrence bombshell as David Norris finally admits being involved in racist attack
David Norris always denied having anything to do with the racist killing of Stephen, 18, who died of stab wounds - but a new Parole Board hearing claims he now admits being involved in the assault
Stephen Lawrence killer David Norris is set to confess for the first time that he was involved in the murder of the teenager as he makes a bid for freedom.
Norris, 48, has always denied having anything to do with the racist killing of 18-year-old Stephen who died of stab wounds in Eltham, south east London, in April 1993. But a Parole Board ruling released on Thursday reveals claims that he now admits being involved in the assault. It said: "After the trial, Mr Norris continued to deny the offence. Recent reports now suggest he has accepted he was present at the scene and punched the victim but claims that he did not wield the knife. He does not accept he holds racist views."
Under the joint enterprise law a defendant is guilty of murder if they are found to have assisted or encouraged the offence. It comes after Stephen's dad Neville told how he will accept Norris' release if he finally admits to the crime and apologises. Neville said in January: "He would have to say he was sorry for killing Stephen and that he had changed his ways and apologise to our family [for me to accept his release].
"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." Norris was finally jailed for Stephen's murder in 2012, and was given a minimum term of 14 years and three months which, due to time spent on remand, is nearly up. The Parole Board has now decided that Norris's forthcoming hearing should go ahead in public.
Norris told his Old Bailey trial that he had forgotten where he was on the night of the murder. But he was clear he had not been in Eltham at the time, saying he was an "innocent man".
His mother Theresa Norris was accused of inventing a false alibi by telling the jury her son was at home that night. During questioning by prosecutor Mark Ellison QC, Norris was repeatedly asked what he had been doing when the teenager was killed. Norris said: "You are accusing me of murder. I am an innocent man." At the time of the murder Norris was 16 and living with his mum and gangster dad Clifford in Chislehurst, Kent.
The teenager was later captured in a police surveillance video using extreme racist language to describe how he would kill black people, people of Pakistani origin and police officers. Norris said in a clip shown at his trial: "I'd go down Catford [in South East London] and places like that, I am telling you now, with two sub-machine guns." He talked about torturing a black person and setting them alight, saying: "I'd blow their two arms and legs off and say, 'Go on, you can swim home now'."
The Parole Board report reveals how Norris still faces "continuing significant risks" to his safety in prison after being attacked three times by inmates. He was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder in November 2023, the document reveals.
Lawyers for Norris opposed having the hearing in public claiming it would not allow him to do "justice to himself in his evidence". But the application from the media was backed by Neville and Stephen's campaigning mother Doreen. The ruling said: "It has been confirmed by the Secretary of State that they are supportive of this application."
Norris was caught in 2022 taking selfies on a mobile phone in prison and bragging he would be free in two years. In a social media post apparently sent from jail, Norris - whose nickname is "Nozza" - wrote that he was "buzzing" after learning he would be up for parole.
He added: "Get that party sorted girls 'cos I [will] be there soon. Eye Eye the man's bk [back] in town." Inmates are banned from having mobile phones in their cells and breaches can result in sentences being extended by up to two years.
Stephen was stabbed to death by up to six thugs as he waited for a bus with pal Duwayne Brooks in Eltham, South East London. Norris and Gary Dobson, 48, are the only members of the gang that killed Stephen to be convicted. They were arrested in 2010 after a cold-case review. Dobson got a minimum term of 15 years and two months.
Brothers Neil and Jamie Acourt were accused of being part of the gang and have served time for drug dealing. Another, Luke Knight, remained free. All deny involvement in the murder. Matthew White, who died aged 50 in 2021, was named as a sixth suspect.
Two years ago, Norris was moved from HMP Dartmoor in Devon after being caught with a phone in his cell. Stephen's murder led to the 1999 Macpherson report into racism in the police.
The CPS ruled last year that four police officers involved in the botched Met probe would not face any charges. Baroness Lawrence, 72, said the decision was a new low for her family.