A convicted murderer who was recalled to prison after releasing rap songs that appeared to boast about his crime has been refused release by the Parole Board, although he has been approved for a move to an open prison.
Recall after violent lyrics
Jake Fahri, now 36, was 19 when he received a life sentence in 2009 for the murder of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen. He was ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years. The killing occurred on 10 May 2008 in a south London bakery, where Fahri threw an oven dish that shattered on Jimmy's chin. The impact severed an artery in the schoolboy's neck, causing him to bleed to death.
Fahri was released on licence in June 2023. Less than 18 months later, music he released under the alias 'TEN' was played on BBC radio station 1Xtra. The rapper, who concealed his identity with a balaclava, included lyrics with violent themes. One track seemed to reference Jimmy's death, with lines about sharpening a blade and a judge deciding to 'throw the book' at him before the trial started.
Another song included the lyrics: 'See a man's soul fly from his eyes and his breath gone... I wanted more, it made it less wrong. Seeing blood spilled same floor he was left on.' Jimmy's parents, Barry and Margaret Mizen, said they were 'stunned into silence' upon learning of the music, which was first reported by The Sun newspaper last year.
Parole Board's verdict
Following the controversy, Fahri was recalled to prison in January 2025. A Probation Service spokesperson stated at the time that Jimmy Mizen's family deserved 'better than to see their son's murderer shamelessly boasting about his violent crime.'
Fahri applied for release again at a Parole Board hearing last month. In a summary of its decision published on Tuesday 6 January 2026, the panel revealed that Fahri had initially denied being the rapper TEN to his probation officer, only admitting it after his recall. He disputed that all his music was autobiographical.
The panel stated it was 'not persuaded that he had provided an open and honest account of his music' and concluded his failure to disclose the music was a breach of his licence. It also noted social media posts where Fahri claimed he acted in self-defence, which he later denied responsibility for, accepting he was the aggressor.
As a result, the Parole Board refused his application for release. However, it did recommend a transfer to an open prison, a move that must be approved by Justice Secretary David Lammy.
Family reaction and BBC response
Jimmy Mizen's father, Barry, told Sky News he was 'happy to accept the decision' and believed Fahri should have been moved to open conditions before his initial release. 'The trust they put in him was thrown back at them,' he said. 'Hopefully that (open conditions) will work. It's up to him really about how he goes about things.'
After the furore last year, the BBC clarified that TEN's songs are not on any BBC playlists and the track seeming to reference Jimmy's death had never been aired on its channels. A spokesman said there were 'no further plans to play his music', adding: 'We were not aware of his background and we in no way condone his actions.'
