Four men were found guilty of the murder of Kacey Boothe, a London Fields gang member who was shot and killed in Hackney in August 2022. The trial that followed saw a popular drill rapper, Kammar Henry-Richards, convicted of the murder. Following his arrest, he released a song with evidence about a gun used in the killing, which the police had not known about. He performed under the name Kay-O and his song “Laughing Stock” contained the incriminating information. In addition to the evidence in the song, all four members of the E9ers gang will face life in prison when they are sentenced in the New Year. The murder occurred near a children’s party, with the wrong person being targeted and the actual victim being killed.
The use of drill lyrics in prosecutions is controversial and has been criticized in the press for unfairly targeting young black men. However, the Crown Prosecution Service insists that the case was supported with forensic, CCTV, and mobile phone evidence as well. The lyrics in the song revealed the identities of guilty parties, with evidence indicating the same gun had been used to shoot and injure the two brothers. Despite this, one member of the gang was unable to reach a conviction and will face a retrial for his role in the murder in the coming year.