Public parole hearing for one of killers of Stephen Lawrence delayed
David Norris was due to make a bid for freedom on Wednesday and Thursday but the hearing has been adjourned because unspecified information has not been made available to the panel that is due to hear the case.
Norris was jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months in 2012, after he and Gary Dobson were convicted of murder in 2011 nearly 20 years after Stephen's racist killing.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'The hearing has had to be adjourned due to information directed by the panel not being made available for the case.
'Without all proper information, the panel cannot consider a parole review.
'The panel's priority must be to ensure the relevant information is available, so that they can thoroughly review the potential risks and ensure public protection.'
A new date will be set for the public hearing once the information has been provided.
Stephen was on his way to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993, when he was set upon and killed by a gang of five or six attackers who used a racist term before they struck.
Incompetence and allegations of corruption, centred around Norris's drug dealer father Clifford Norris, dogged the investigation into Stephen's death for years.
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, a conclusion 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 that was backed by Stephen's parents.
In a document outlining the decision, it was revealed that Norris now accepts that he was present at the scene of the murder, but 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Three charged with supporting Palestine Action at London rally
Two women and a man have been charged with showing support for proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action following a protest in central London. Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 September, the Metropolitan Police said. The three were arrested at a protest in Westminster on 5 July. Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: 'Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation... 'Is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law. 'These charges relate to three people arrested in central London on 5 July. We are also planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day. 'I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.'
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
First migrants detained under ‘one in, one out' deal as PM vows to secure border
The first small boat migrants have been detained under the UK's new 'one in, one out' deal with Emmanuel Macron and could be sent back to France within weeks. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the Government was prepared to defend itself against legal challenges if migrants seek to avoid being sent back across the English Channel. The migrants detained were among those who risked the Channel crossing on Wednesday, the day the pilot scheme began operating. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'We have detained the first illegal migrants under our new deal before returning them to France. No gimmicks, just results. 'If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it.' The pilot scheme was set up as part of a deal announced by the Prime Minister and French president Mr Macron during his state visit to the UK in July. UK officials aim to make referrals for returns to France within three days of a migrant's arrival by small boat while French authorities will respond within 14 days. This is in exchange for an approved asylum seeker in France to be brought to the UK under a safe route. No figures have been confirmed for how many migrants will be sent back, although reports from France have suggested it could be around 50 a week, a small fraction of the numbers making the crossing in small boats. The Home Secretary said: 'The pilot has now begun, so the first migrants who have arrived on the small boats are now in detention. We will then swiftly make the referrals to France and that process will now start to be able to return people to France. 'It's the beginning of the pilot and it will build as well over time, but we're also clear that France is a safe country, so we will robustly defend against any legal challenge that people try. 'We do expect for people to start being returned in a matter of weeks.' The Home Office is expected to launch a campaign in the coming days to make migrants in northern France and elsewhere aware of the new treaty. Ms Cooper added: 'Criminal gangs have spent seven years embedding themselves along our border and it will take time to unravel them, but these detentions are an important step towards undermining their business model and unravelling the false promises they make.' The Home Secretary has acknowledged the accord is not a 'silver bullet' to stop small boat crossings, which are running at record levels so far in 2025. But the Government hopes it will be a turning point as migrants will be sent back across the Channel for the first time. The process for asylum seekers to come to the UK under the 'one in, one out' pilot scheme has also been launched, with adults and families in France able to express an interest in coming to the UK through an online platform set up by the Home Office. They will have to meet suitability criteria, a standard visa application process and security checks. If accepted, they would be given three months in the UK to claim asylum or apply for a visa, and would be subject to the same rules for all asylum seekers not allowed to work, study or have access to benefits.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
First people charged with showing support for banned group Palestine Action
The first people have been charged with showing support for Palestine Action after the group was recently banned as a terror organisation, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Two women and a man were arrested in Westminster following a protest in central London on July 5. Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, also 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney, north-east London, were charged with showing support for a proscribed organisation under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on September 16. The charges come ahead of a planned protest in support of the group on Saturday afternoon in London's Parliament Square, with organisers expecting more than 500 people to attend.
