A man convicted of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence continued to be a bigot in jail – taking drugs, having mobile phones, a weapon, and abusing black and Muslim inmates, it has emerged.
The revelations about David Norris, now 49, came as the Parole Board rejected his claims to have changed so much that he could be freed or moved to an open prison.
Norris sought freedom 13 years after he was one of two men jailed for the 1993 racist gang murder of 18-year-old Lawrence at a bus stop in south-east London.
Norris had for years prior to his parole hearing denied involvement in the attack that killed Lawrence, but then changed his story.
In the Parole Board’s ruling, Norris is recorded as saying that he saw one of his friends, with whom he dealt drugs, holding a knife after the murder, before they all then ran off.
He refuses to name the person and the ruling said: “Mr Norris told the prison psychologist that, as they were running away, he saw someone with a knife and so he thinks he knows the person that did stab the victim.”
Stephen’s mother Doreen Lawrence said: “He chose not to name the other murderers, despite accepting he could. 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. Despite this, the Met [Metropolitan police] has made no effort to follow up on the admission he made.”
Neville Lawrence, Stephen’s father, said: “I continue to hope that he will reflect and find it in himself to reveal the truth about Stephen’s other murderers, so they can finally be brought to justice.”
Norris claimed he had stopped being a racist by 2003 when he was 27, with his prejudice having been triggered by his friends, and insisted he had reformed.
But the Parole Board ruling reveals that Norris:
• Told his daughter in 2013 that he did not want black grandchildren.
• Threw excrement at black and Muslim prisoners.
• Was described as a “massive racist” and bully by prison security in 2017.
• Threatened to attack Muslim prisoners.
• Used the N-word in 2022.
• Was suspected in 2023 of grooming a vulnerable young inmate into racist ideology, with prison intelligence saying he was “a fully fledged member of the EDL [English Defence League]”.
Norris had partially admitted or denied the evidence, and has completed courses on racism. He also said he had converted to Buddhism in 2019 and that spiritualism was important to him.
The ruling from the Parole Board said the racist abuse was “evidence of continued racist attitudes long after the committing of the … offence”.
Norris was convicted in 2012, alongside Gary Dobson, of Lawrence’s murder, which was carried out with at least four other white youths.
According to the ruling, Norris said “he dealt drugs with the other males who were responsible for Stephen Lawrence’s murder”.
Lawrence, 18, was enveloped by a gang who had shouted racist abuse, including the N-word, before he was fatally stabbed near a bus stop in south-east London on 22 April 1993.
Norris was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months for murder.
Parole Board documents say Norris had recently admitted punching Lawrence, and therefore being present at the scene of the attack.
Covert video recorded in 1994 and shown at the murder trial showed Norris talking about “skinning” black people and setting them alight, using racist terms and fantasising about violent acts against Asian and black people.
Doreen Lawrence said the parole application was “a gross manipulation of the process”.
She dismissed Norris’s claims of having reformed: “He was anything but remorseful and remains, in my view, a dangerous racist who should never be let out of prison.”
Norris’s father, Clifford, was at the centre of suspicions from the Lawrences that corruption had blighted the murder investigation, which he has denied.
Of the remaining prime suspects, three remain unconvicted for the murder, and one potential sixth attacker has died.
The Met said: “Our objective remains the arrest, prosecution and conviction of all those responsible for Stephen’s murder.”
It added it backed a review into whether new chances for justice could be found.
