'˜I forgive my son's killers', says father of Stephen Lawrence

Neville Lawrence, father of Stephen Lawrence, who has revealed his forgiveness of his son's killers, nearly 25 years on. Picture by Philip Toscano/PA Wire.

Neville Lawrence, 76, said the decision was “the hardest I will ever make in my lifetime”, and that he struggles to put into words the devastation his family has suffered since his son was killed.

Stephen was murdered by a gang of racists in Eltham, south-east London, on April 22, 1993 at the age of 18.

His father said: “The fact that I had to lose my first child has been devastating. I can’t begin to explain the pain and the anguish me and my family have suffered over the past 25 years.”

Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was killed in south-east London. Picture: Family Handout/PA Wire.

He said he had embraced Christian faith since his son’s death and that he plans to spend the 25th anniversary of his murder in church.

Two of the group of up to six thugs who attacked the teenager and his friend Duwayne Brooks have been convicted of murder, but the rest have evaded justice. David Norris and Gary Dobson are both serving life sentences.

A key moment for the grieving Mr Lawrence and his ex-wife Doreen was when they met Nelson Mandela two weeks after Stephen died.

“When I met him for the first time I was so inspired by his persona and the way he talked to people,” Mr Lawrence said.

Flowers and tributes left on the memorial stone for Stephen Lawrence. Picture: Ian West/PA Wire.

“He made it clear to us that in his country it was something that they go through every day, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that something like that would happen in a place like Britain. Meeting him gave me the courage to do some of the things I have done over the years.

“Other families came to my rescue as well. When you are going to go on a journey, if somebody else who has been through it comes and talks to you they can give you an idea what you’re going to face down the road.

“What those families did for me I can’t even start to explain to people. I decided, after a certain amount of time, on my journey, that if anybody who had the same kind of experience wanted me to come and talk to them then I would do that.

“I also decided that I would go into schools and universities and talk to the younger generation.”

A surge in violent crime has led to nearly 60 murders in London so far this year and Mr Lawrence believes that if young people are left with nothing to do they will get involved in activities that are “devastating” to the community in which they live.

“Right now with the violence, and the knife crime violence, it is even more urgent now that I talk to these youngsters and explain to them the pain and the suffering they inflict on families,” he said.

Mr Lawrence and his former wife, who is now Baroness Lawrence, have campaigned for more than two decades to get justice for their son.

The botched initial investigation into Stephen’s death led to a major public inquiry and eventually a change in the law to allow Dobson to be tried twice for murder.

Detectives have admitted their investigation is unlikely to progress any further without new information. But the case remains under scrutiny with an inquiry into undercover policing examining claims that police moles infiltrated campaign groups supporting the Lawrence family.

The father-of-three and his family will never escape the pain of what happened.

Mr Lawrence, a former plasterer and decorator said: “My family, especially me, I will never be the person I was before Stephen’s death.

“Maybe sometimes people think you can just brush things aside. You can never brush this aside, this is going to live with you for the rest of your life.

“This is a life sentence that you can’t finish. The only time my life sentence will be finished is when I’m in the ground.”

A LEGEND IN HIS DEATH

Neville Lawrence’s solicitor Jocelyn Cockburn from Hodge Jones and Allen said: “I am humbled by his message of forgiveness to mark the anniversary of his son’s death. Neville can feel proud of what he has achieved in the intervening years.”

Mr Lawrence said that he believes that in death his aspiring architect son has become a “legend”.

“When these boys killed my son Stephen, they created a legend. In his death, Stephen is a legend. There is debate about racism, there are organisations set up to help to make people understand about racism, the police have been put under the spotlight because of Stephen’s death.”