Stephen Lawrence's body to be returned to the UK from Jamaica 31 years on from his murder

1 August 2024, 13:24

Stephen Lawrence's body is being returned to the UK from Jamaica 31 years after his murder.

Baroness Lawrence said the family had decided to "bring Stephen home to be closer to us" after originally burying him on the Caribbean island because they felt "he would not be at peace in this country".

She said images of his grave had appeared on social media after his body had been exhumed, which caused the family "distress".

Mr Lawrence was murdered by a gang of racists in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993 as he went to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks, and only two of his five or six killers have been brought to justice.

Read more: Stephen Lawrence murder detectives will not face prosecution, CPS announces

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In a statement issued through her lawyer, Baroness Lawrence said: "My family and I have been made aware of the recent images of my son's grave that have been circulated on social media.

"Following Stephen's passing, we made the decision to have him laid to rest in Jamaica, as we felt he would not be at peace in this country.

"After 31 years, we have decided as a family that we would like to bring Stephen home to be closer to us."

She added: "The images that are circulating were taken after the funeral home exhumed Stephen's body.

"However, we would like to express our distress at the funeral home's lack of regard for our feelings and privacy, as evidenced by the decision to leave Stephen's grave open to the public, rather than closed off.

"We are disheartened by the individual who chose to take images and post them on social media without consideration for the potential impact on our family.

"We had hoped to have carried out this sensitive task privately, but due to unforeseen circumstances, this was not possible.

"We apologise for any distress caused by those who saw the images and kindly request that, out of respect for us and our privacy, these are removed from all media platforms.

"We kindly request that our privacy be respected during this time."

It comes after Baroness Lawrence said in June that she was "bewildered, disappointed and angry" at an upheld decision not to charge four officers involved in the original bungled investigation into her son's murder.

She said the decision marked "a new low" in how her family has been treated by the criminal justice system.

She added that no police officer will ever take responsibility for the failures in the case.