Stephen Lawrence’s body will be returned to the UK from Jamaica 31 years after his murder, his mother Doreen Lawrence has said.
Baroness Lawrence said his 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 added that images of her son’s grave had appeared on social media after his body had been exhumed, which had 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.
The original police investigation into the 18-year-old’s death was marred by institutional racism in the Met, incompetence and alleged corruption.
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.”
Years after the original police investigation into Mr Lawrence’s death, it emerged that undercover police officers had spied on campaigners supporting the Lawrence family in their fight for justice.
Last year, the BBC revealed further failures linked to a sixth suspect in the case, Matthew White.
In June, Baroness Lawrence said 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.
Baroness Lawrence said the decision marked “a new low” in how her family has been treated by the criminal justice system, and means that no police officer will ever take responsibility for the failures in the case.
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