Overview

• David Norris appeared via video at a partly public Parole Board hearing livestreamed to the Royal Courts of Justice, his first parole review since his minimum term expired in December 2024.
• Victim impact statements from Neville, Doreen and Stuart Lawrence urged the panel to keep Norris in custody unless he identifies the rest of the gang involved in the 1993 murder.
• Norris expressed remorse and accepted he was at the scene, claiming he punched Stephen Lawrence but did not stab him, and he declined to discuss other perpetrators citing risks to his and his family’s safety.
• The hearing was told the Justice Secretary will oppose release, as the panel reiterated its role is to assess current risk rather than revisit the original convictions.
• A prison offender manager noted Norris’s participation in work addressing racism and violence but cited abusive conduct toward a nurse and recommended progression to less restrictive conditions before any release, while a College of Policing review of recent investigative stages continues.