Stephen Lawrence’s body will be returned to the UK from Jamaica 31 years after his racist murder, his mother, Doreen, has said.

In a statement issued through her lawyer, Lady Lawrence said images of her son’s grave had appeared on social media after his body had been exhumed, which had caused the family “distress”.

The statement 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.”

Lawrence said the images were taken after the funeral home exhumed her son’s body. She said the family expressed “our distress” after the grave was left open to the public and that the funeral home had shown a “lack of regard for our feelings and privacy”.

The statement continued: “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.”

Stephen Lawrence was murdered by a gang of racists in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993 as the 18-year-old ran to catch a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks. Only two of his killers – Gary Dobson and David Norris – have ever been brought to justice.

Neville Lawrence, Stephen’s father, has said he spends most of his time in Jamaica because he does not “feel good about living in the UK after what happened to Stephen”.

The family made the decision to bury Stephen’s body in Jamaica because they did not want people to vandalise his grave. Neville Lawrence also said he wanted to be near where Stephen was buried.

The place where Lawrence died in Eltham is marked with a black granite plaque, laid into the pavement. The plaque has been vandalised multiple times over the years, including with paint and flammable liquids.

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