One of Stephen Lawrence’s killers has begged the teenager’s family for forgiveness in a bid to win freedom, more than 30 years after the racist murder that shocked Britain. David Norris, 49, told the parole board he was “deeply sorry” and “utterly disgusted and ashamed” of himself as he faced a hearing this month. But despite his emotional words, Norris has refused to reveal who actually stabbed Stephen to death, a decision that continues to anger the Lawrence family and undermine his claims of remorse.

During the hearing, Norris’s legal team argued that he had shown progress in custody, pointing to courses he had taken on anger management and diversity awareness. They claimed he no longer posed a risk to the public and urged the board to consider moving him to an open prison as a first step toward release. Norris himself insisted he wanted a “second chance” at life outside, saying he had reflected deeply on his past.

But relatives of Stephen Lawrence, along with their supporters, expressed scepticism. Stephen’s parents, Doreen and Neville Lawrence, have made it clear that they will not accept any apology until Norris tells the full truth about what happened that night in April 1993. They said that without disclosure, his words amount to “nothing more than an attempt to secure parole.”

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The panel also heard submissions from the probation service and prison authorities. Reports highlighted Norris’s chequered record behind bars, including the time he was caught using a smuggled mobile phone in his cell to send racist messages online—an incident that raised doubts about his claims of rehabilitation.

Stephen, who was just 18, was attacked and killed by a group of white youths while waiting for a bus in Eltham, southeast London. The case became one of the most notorious in modern UK history, exposing deep failings within the Metropolitan Police and leading to the landmark Macpherson Inquiry, which found the force to be “institutionally racist.”

Norris and Gary Dobson were eventually convicted of Stephen’s murder in 2012 after years of tireless campaigning by Doreen and Neville Lawrence. Norris was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 14 years and three months. Now, more than a decade into his sentence, Norris is asking for parole, claiming to have reformed. But the Lawrence family remain firm: unless he reveals who else was involved and provides full accountability for his role, they believe he should remain behind bars.

The parole board is expected to announce its decision later this month, weighing whether Norris should be released, kept in prison, or transferred to an open facility. Whatever the outcome, for the Lawrence family, the fight for justice and the truth about Stephen’s murder continues.