Two aspiring rappers from west London have been jailed after releasing a song online to try and scare witnesses from coming forward with evidence.
Ishmael Mclean and Rowan Simon were found guilty of perverting the course of justice last week for posting a rap video on Youtube relating to the murder Jason Johnson.
Prosecutors claimed that the video was intended for the witnesses of the murder and suggested anyone who saw the murder would be shot.
Oliver Glasgow, speaking for the prosecution, told the court McLean and Simon were among eight people arrested in connection to Johnson’s death. They were not prosecuted, but after apparently hearing that an unknown eyewitness had spoken to the police, they posted the rap online, and promoted it via MySpace and Facebook.
Glasgow said: “[The rap's] connection to this case and its chilling message were immediately obvious to the officers. The video had but one purpose – to threaten any witness to this incident to frighten them to such an extent that they would refuse to co-operate with the police. They made it clear exactly what it was they wanted to do to them. Namely, kill them or to use their own words, ‘I can’t wait for the snitch to drop, I still show up at his wake just to see him off’”.
