Stephen Lawrence’s body exhumed for UK return – family distressed by grave photos on social media
In a statement issued through her lawyer, Baroness Doreen Lawrence expressed that images of her son’s grave appearing on social media following his exhumation had caused the family “distress.”
In a statement issued through her lawyer, Baroness Doreen Lawrence shared that the family was “distressed” by images of her son’s grave that surfaced on social media after his exhumation.
In a statement issued through her lawyer, Baroness Lawrence expressed that images of her son’s grave had appeared on social media after his exhumation, causing the family “distress.”
She explained that the family decided to “bring Stephen home to be closer to us” after initially burying him on a Caribbean island because they felt “he would not be at peace in this country.”
Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a gang of racists in Eltham, southeast London, in April 1993 while on his way to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks.
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 Metropolitan Police, incompetence, and alleged corruption.
Baroness Lawrence stated, “My family and I have recently learned about the images of my son’s grave that have been shared on social media.”
“After Stephen’s passing, we chose to bury him in Jamaica, believing he would not find peace in this country. Now, after 31 years, our family has decided to bring Stephen back home to be closer to us.
“The images circulating were taken after the funeral home exhumed Stephen’s body.
“However, we want to express our distress over the funeral home’s disregard for our feelings and privacy, as shown by their decision to leave Stephen’s grave accessible to the public rather than securing it.”
The statement continued: “We are deeply upset by the person who took and shared images of our son’s grave on social media, without considering the impact on our family.
“We had intended to handle this matter privately, but unforeseen circumstances made that impossible.
“We apologize for any distress the images may have caused and respectfully ask that they be removed from all media platforms to honor our privacy and well-being.”
In June, Baroness Lawrence expressed that she was “bewildered, disappointed, and angry” over the decision to uphold the choice not to charge four officers involved in the initial flawed investigation into her son’s murder.
She described the decision as “a new low” in the treatment of her family by the criminal justice system and stated that it means no police officer will ever be held accountable for the shortcomings in the case.
