Stephen Lawrence's father says he will 'never forgive the police' as he marks 30 years since son's murder

April 22, 2023

Stephen Lawrence's father says he will "never forgive the police" three decades after his son's murder.

Today marks 30 years since the 18-year-old was murdered in a racist attack while waiting for a bus in Eltham, southeast London, on 22 April 1993.

His death changed the course of British history and shone a light on racism that permeated through police, public bodies and society as a whole.

But for his father Neville, the anniversary marks "30 years of pain and suffering for me and my family".

He told Sky News: "Remember this is my first child. The memories I have of Stephen will never go away. I will never forget them, never."

After Stephen's death, the Lawrence family's lives were turned upside down in their fight for justice, after a police investigation tainted by racism meant it would take 20 years for the killers to be sentenced for murder.

David Norris and Gary Dobson were jailed while three others who were arrested were never prosecuted.

Norris and Dobson have never confessed.

At a parole hearing next year, Mr Lawrence may have the opportunity to face one of his son's murderers and hopes it may be a good opportunity for him to ask a question that's been on his mind for 30 years.

"Did you actually kill my son?

"I want [them] to say yes, I killed Stephen Lawrence."

He added he has found peace and has been able to forgive the men that killed his son - but the police, that's a different matter.

In 1999 a report looking into the police handling of Stephen Lawrence's case found the investigation had been marred with incompetence and institutional racism.

"I would never forgive the police. As long as they can't accept what they're doing is wrong. Because if you don't accept it, it's not going to change," he said.

In 2023 a review by Baroness Casey found the Met Police is "institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic".

"I am so disappointed.

"We are still facing the same kind of attitudes.

"Twenty years later for somebody else to come along and say the same thing. That shows you they have no intention of changing their behaviour."

He says his trust in police is so strained he wouldn't even consider calling them if he needed their help.

"If something happened to me tomorrow morning, who do I call? I wouldn't be calling a bunch of police because I know I wouldn't get the satisfaction of them treating me the way they are supposed to."

Read more:
Met Police chief admits 'we have let black communities down'
Stephen Lawrence's mother effectively 'gaslit' by Daily Mail, court told

He hopes the new report will create the shift in culture needed to finally address institutional racism in policing.

However, a former superintendent who gave evidence to the inquiry into Stephen's murder believes the Met chief is the wrong person to reform the service.

Leroy Logan told Sky News that Sir Mark Rowley isn't "equipped to deal with it because he was there when it was going bad".

"When they come through that culture they're very protective," he said.

"They don't keep that critical distance and they're not able to really do the sustainable change that's going to hold that police service... to the level of integrity and ethics and professional behaviour.

"And of course, getting the basics right. That's why the Met's in special measures, because they're not even getting the basics right around how to police London."

Sir Mark this week apologised for failings in Stephen's case and admitted the Met "did not dig deep enough" to get rid of racism in the decades since his killing.

"We have let black communities down. They feel over-policed and under-protected," said the Met commissioner - something he said he was "deeply sorry for".

He added: "I and the good majority of our officers are resolved to finally make the Met determinedly anti-racist and anti-discrimination of all kinds."

Despite the Met's failures, Neville Lawrence is much more optimistic about society as a whole.

Lots of young people weren't even alive when his son was murdered, but many know of the legacy Stephen left behind.

"It feels good to know that I'm here talking to the younger generation," said Mr Lawrence.

"For them to do things differently from the ways some of their parents were doing it. I feel grateful for that.

"The only thing I am not too happy about is that it had to take the death of my son for anything like that to happen."

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