Aderahman Boumzough, 25, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of 15-year-old Rene Graham, who was shot at a family festival in Ladbroke Grove, west London. The sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court followed a trial in which a rap video found on Boumzough's phone, in which he boasted about the killing and referenced the gun jamming, was used as key evidence.
Cold-blooded killing at a family event
On July 2024, Boumzough approached Rene at the festival and shot him with a pistol. He then pointed the weapon at a second person, but it jammed, and he fled the scene. Police used phone data and CCTV footage to place him at the murder scene, leading to his arrest and conviction.
In the rap video, which was shared with Metro by the Metropolitan Police, Boumzough raps: 'Don't you hate it when your ting jams? I was prepared to take a soul, but Allah had a different plan.' The jury was shown the clip, which depicted Boumzough clearly relishing the retelling of the crime.
Judge's condemnation and family's grief
Sentencing Judge Simon James addressed Boumzough directly, stating: 'You robbed Rene's family of seeing him grow into a man by your callous and cold-blooded conduct in gunning down and killing a defenceless teenager in what amounted to a premeditated public execution.'
Rene's mother, Janay John Francis, expressed her profound loss: 'I cannot begin to describe the depth of my pain after losing my precious angel.'
Drill rap as evidence in court
This case is one of several in which drill rap lyrics and videos have been used by police to secure convictions for violent crimes. However, the practice has become contentious, with campaigners like the group Art Not Evidence arguing that drill rap is being unfairly vilified and overused in courtrooms. They have called for restrictions on the use of music, particularly rap, to implicate individuals in crimes.
Police, however, maintain that such evidence is vital and is only collected in connection with specific, serious crimes that have already been committed. The Met has used drill rap in numerous cases where criminals have boasted about their crimes or provided specific details in lyrics or videos.
Other cases involving drill rap evidence
In 2023, Leonardo Reid, 15, and Klevi Shekaj, 23, were killed in a machete attack during a music shoot in Islington, north London. A third victim, Abdullah Abdullahi, was seriously injured. Adel Chunda, Loriq Lupqi, Eden Clark, Jason Furtado, and Xavier Poponne were each given two life sentences for the murders. Police found lyrics on Poponne's phone that referenced the attack and three stabbings, boasting 'Got me a trio'. The Met said the lyrics 'made references to elements of the attack which could only be known to those involved.'
Leonardo's mother, Valentina Locci, told Metro of her devastation: 'I felt my heart was getting ripped out. The lyrics are very descriptive. What they wrote was cruel, it's insensitive – that's a hard pill to swallow because that's my little boy. That's my 15-year-old boy, and they robbed him of everything. They robbed me, they robbed my other children. We got robbed. There is no excuse for what they did.'
She added: 'He wasn't a boy who was in the streets; he wasn't involved in any form of gang affiliation at all, whatsoever, and he definitely had nothing to do with drill music. He was murdered by adults who had nothing better to do. My son had to witness his little brother die.'
Another case: drill rapper jailed over social media dispute
In a separate case, drill rapper Emmanuel Popoola was jailed for life for the murder of 18-year-old Keanu Harker in Enfield, north London, following a social media dispute. Tayvon Etefia, 18, who used an electric bike to deliver Popoola to the crime scene, was also jailed. Keanu was shot dead in June last year, just days after Etefia warned in a rap: 'Any green boy gets chinged (stabbed) on sight,' referring to his GMG gang targeting the 3x3 crew to which Keanu allegedly had connections.
Police defend use of drill rap evidence
Detective Sergeant Matthew Corbin told Metro that evidence from music videos and lyrics should remain admissible as it has helped crack murder cases and other violent crimes. He said: 'Why would you not put this evidence to a jury? There is a misconception… we do not look online at these videos unless we are investigating a serious crime.'
DS Corbin explained that suspects sometimes post lyrics or drill rap about their crimes to enhance their 'status' among peers, even though it may lead to their arrest. He said: 'They care about their status; that's why they often do it.' He added: 'Evidence from drill rap is just part of the case. There is ANPR (number plate recognition), forensics, CCTV, mobile phone records. The jury needs to be given the full picture.'
