Stephen’s killers have not earned my forgiveness
Pain still runs deep for mum 25yrs on
DOREEN Lawrence says she will never forgive the racists who stabbed her son to death – because 25 years on they still refuse to admit their guilt.
While her ex-husband Neville has said although he still wants justice, his Christian faith means he can forgive 18-year-old Stephen’s killers, for Doreen it is not so easy.
Speaking candidly before the broadcast of BBC1’s three-part documentary Stephen: The Murder That Changed A Nation, she said: “I’ve always been positive but in terms of forgiveness that’s difficult. In order to earn forgiveness, you’ve got to admit you’ve done something and they have never done that.”
The 65-year-old campaigner is still haunted by the shocking events of that fateful night when a group of thugs in Eltham, South London, attacked Stephen and pal Duwayne Brooks.
Stephen was knifed twice and bled to death on the pavement as his cowardly attackers fled.
Only two – David Norris and Gary Dobson – were convicted and are currently serving life sentences.
Doreen, who became a Baroness in 2013, this month called for the Met Police to “be honest” about the likelihood of more convictions, revealing she believed detectives had run out of lines of inquiry but were worried about upsetting her. The Met says “the investigation is live”. This Sunday marks the anniversary of wannabe architect Stephen’s death and coincides with this year’s London Marathon. Doreen is supporting a team of architects competing to raise money for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust. But she will not be there to see them – instead she will be visiting the spot where Stephen died. She says: “That’s the only place that I can go and have a connection with Stephen.” A quarter of a century on it is clear that the heartache still runs deep. “I do try to imagine what he’d be like now; whether of not he would have a family. I presume he would have a family. He’d be 43 now,” Doreen says. “On the outside people think that I’ve not crumbled but there are times that I have. “To say that I’ve been dignified and strong all the time would be far from the truth.” Donate to Stephen’s marathon team at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/25thanniversaryappeal.