Stephen Lawrence killer clashed with Manchester Arena plotter Hashem Abedi behind bars
David Norris, who was jailed for the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 2012, has been denied parole as a report highlighted a clash with Manchester bomber Hashem Abedi at HMP Belmarsh
Stephen Lawrence’s killer and the plotter who helped his brother’s lethal Manchester arena bombing have confronted each other behind bars at their high-security jail.
David Norris, who murdered then 18-year-old Stephen in a vicious racist assault in 1993 and was imprisoned for the killing in 2012, branded Hashem Abedi a terrorist and hurled obscenities at the convict during a confrontation at HMP Belmarsh.
The incident was outlined in a report published after Norris’ parole bid was rejected last week, and revealed Norris continued to exhibit racist behaviour whilst incarcerated.
However, Norris, 49, insisted he was among several individuals who had “taken umbrage” with conspirator Abedi, and had merely erupted at his fellow prisoner after enduring a particularly challenging day, reports the Mirror.
The report states Norris acknowledged he had targeted Abedi, 28, during a period in isolation at Belmarsh when life became “too much”, but maintained he had not used a racial slur.
Instead, he insisted inmates “all took umbrage with [Abedi]”, and that his reaction to the inmate was “offence-based”.
The report read: “He said it was the ‘Manchester bomber’ and they ‘all took umbrage with him’. He said he called the prisoner a terrorist and swore at him, but had not used the racial slur. He said it had been an offence-based response, not a racial issue.
“Mr Norris said he had been raising money for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing at the time. He accepted it was ‘not his place to be dishing out justice’ but he was stressed and ‘terrorism has always riled me, going back to the IRA’.”
Abedi was handed a life sentence for the murders of 22 people at a Manchester Ariana Grande concert in 2017.
Whilst the attack itself was executed by his brother, Salman Abedi, he received 55 years behind bars after being found to have “encouraged and helped his brother” and “has blood on his hands even if he didn’t detonate the bomb”.
Abedi appeared in court again in October charged with attempting to murder three prison officers in a terror -motivated assault after he allegedly threw boiling oil over them and attacked them with makeshift weapons.
Prosecutors claimed he yelled “Allahu akbar” – “God is greatest” – during the April 12 incident at HMP Frankland.
He pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder, one of assault causing actual bodily harm, and one of possessing offensive weapons inside a prison.
Norris, meanwhile, was refused parole last week. A report highlighted behavioural and security concerns over Norris’ ongoing racism, mobile phone smuggling, and allegations of violence.
Stephen Lawrence’s mum, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, described Norris as remaining “a dangerous racist who should never be let out of prison”.
She further stated: “He was a coward who completely failed to acknowledge the life he took or the deep and lasting impact his actions have had on my family and me.”
The police have consistently asserted that Norris, who was jailed for the murder along with Gary Dobson, was one of six individuals involved – others continue to roam free following Met Police investigation failures.
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