'It will take me to my grave': Stephen Lawrence's dad speaks out on the day he should have turned 50

Stephen Lawrence's father Neville told ITV News London's Carolyn Sim that marking his son's 50th birthday has not been easy for the family

By Carolyn Sim and Rachel Dixon

Today, on what would have been Stephen Lawrence's 50th birthday, his father told ITV News he will take his fight for justice "to the grave".

Stephen was stabbed to death by a gang of young white men in Eltham, south-east London in April 1993 as he waited to catch a bus with a friend. He was 18 years old at the time.

Only two of his killers – Gary Dobson and David Norris – have been convicted of murder and were both sentenced to life in prison, meaning others responsible remain free. Another suspect has died.

Stephen's name and his legacy are known all over the world. But what Stephen Lawrence means to his dad Neville - is more than any words can express, he told ITV News London.

In an exclusive TV interview, Neville said: "This is a day that I have to kind of cope the best I can.

"You look back at the early years with your family, with your children and everything, and thinking that everything will be OK.

"And then a stranger, somebody that you've never known, does this to the family for no reason at all.

"It's hard getting used to the fact that for the past 31 years, I've been living with this stuff."

"I don't think he would have changed from the person I saw as a young man. He decided he wanted to be an architect."

Stephen's murder sparked calls for change: In the wake of his death and the Metropolitan Police's handling of the investigation, serious questions were asked about the organisation for the first time.

The force’s response to Stephen's murder was branded institutionally racist in the 1999 Macpherson report, which said the Home Office and police needed a “comprehensive system of reporting and recording all racist incidents and crimes”.

But more than 30 years later, Stephen's parents are facing heartache.

Just this year, his mother Baroness Doreen Lawrence said she was “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, and means that no police officer will ever take responsibility for the failures in the case.

It means no police officer has ever been held responsible for the failings in the murder investigation.

Neville reaffirmed his commitment to keep fighting for justice for his son.

"I'm fighting to the very end ... I'll never give up," he told ITV News.

This year, Neville marked Stephen Lawrence Day with a visit to a school in Plumstead to talk to children about his son's life and legacy.

He told ITV News London the family now plans to pursue a review of the police investigation - and that could happen fairly soon.

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