Mum of murdered Stephen Lawrence says she does not forgive son's racist killers
The mother of Stephen Lawrence has said she does not forgive her son's racist killers.
In an interview ahead of the 30th anniversary of Stephen's murder on Saturday, Baroness Doreen Lawrence said she thinks about him all of the time and wonders what he would be doing now if he had lived.
Stephen, 18, was stabbed to death as he waited for a bus in Eltham, South East London on April 22, 1993, in an unprovoked attack by a gang of white youths.
Gary Dobson, 47, and David Norris, 46, were finally jailed for the murder in 2012 following a string of failings in the original investigation.
Brothers Jamie and Neil Acourt and Luke Knight were also named publicly as suspects in the killing but remain free.
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Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was stabbed to death as he waited for a bus in Eltham, South East London on April 22, 1993Stephen's father Neville Lawrence has previously said that he had forgiven his son's killers as a way of helping him cope.
Baroness Lawrence told the BBC that for her to do so, they would first have to admit their guilt.
"But they've never owned up, and in their eyes, they've done nothing wrong."
Mr Lawrence told the Mirror this week that Dobson and Norris must confess before they are be considered for release.
Asked how she felt about the fact only two have been jailed, Baroness Lawrence said: "At times like this I do think about them. It's only two and the rest are free, but then that was down to how the investigation happened."
She said that without the family's constant campaigning, even those two convictions would not have happened.
"Within the black community, how we're treated, how crime's investigated, we're never seen as a group of people that should have justice," she said.
"So everything that we've had, we've had to fight for - and continue to fight."
Mr Lawrence told the Mirror this week that Stephen's killers must confess before they are be considered for releaseBaroness Lawrence said it didn't feel like 30 years since her oldest son was murdered.
"I'm always thinking about him, all of the time and to say 30 years, it's a long, long time and where would he be now? Those are the sort of things I think about. What would he be doing? Would he have children?"
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A report by Baroness Louise Casey last month found the Metropolitan Police guilty of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia - showing little has changed since the 1999 Macpherson report into Stephen's murder found the force had a problem with racism.
Baroness Lawrence said officers can be "as brutal as they want" without being held to account and that the findings of the Casey Review did not surprise her.
"Black people are never seen as "people that should have justice", she added.
She has spoken to the Met's Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and told him promises of reform must be judged against what the public experience.
Baroness Lawrence told the BBC that for her to forgive her killers, they would first have to admit their guiltShe said: "I don't know how many more inquiries and how many reviews you need to have to say the same thing - and still no changes, and still denials."
Baroness Lawrence said she did not believe she would ever see full justice for her son's murder.
In 2018, then-Prime Minister Theresa May introduced a national day of commemoration for Stephen on April 22.
It is an opportunity to celebrate Stephen’s life, to educate young people about the significance of his legacy and highlight the ongoing work of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation - the charity founded by Baroness Lawrence.
The 30th anniversary marks the launch of the national ‘Ordinary Extraordinary’ campaign, inspiring young people to realise their potential.
It starts with the #StephenLawrenceDayPledge, encouraging individuals, schools, communities, and organisations to do one thing that will positively impact the lives of young people from marginalised backgrounds.
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