Press Release: Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE Responds to Parole Board Decision
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Baroness Doreen Lawrence has responded to the Parole Board’s decision to refuse parole to David Norris, following a hearing at which she addressed the continuing impact of the racist murder of her son, Stephen Lawrence. The decision relates to Norris’s application for release after serving a life sentence.
On 16 December 2025, Baroness Lawrence issued the following statement:
“There can be no doubt to anyone listening to this man (who I shall not name) that his application for Parole was a gross manipulation of the process. He claimed he was remorseful and no longer a risk to the public. He was anything but remorseful and remains, in my view, a dangerous racist who should never be let out of prison. In the many years since Stephen’s death, I have wanted to know precisely how my son died and had hoped that the Parole Board Hearing might have given me the answer as to who delivered the fatal blows. I have been cruelly deprived of that knowledge by a man who put me through two days of anguish, knowing full well that he could have given me a crumb of comfort. 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 has made no effort to follow up on the admission he made. The deep and lasting impact of his murderous act continues even now.
During the Parole Board hearing, his entire focus was solely on how his arrest and imprisonment had affected him and the risk to him should he reveal his face. He was a coward who completely failed to acknowledge the life he took or the deep and lasting impact his actions have had on my family and me. It was evident that he showed no remorse for his actions or for the pain he had caused to my family and to those who cared for Stephen.
My fight for justice is not over, but today’s decision is a step in the right direction.”
The decision marks a further moment in Baroness Lawrence’s long-standing pursuit of accountability and justice, which continues more than three decades after Stephen’s murder.
