Rapper guilty of attempted murder over shooting

Rapper Nathan Tokosi, known as DigDat, has been found guilty of attempted murder over a drive-by shooting in west London.

Tokosi, 25, from Deptford in south-east London, was in a stolen Audi car from which at least six shots were fired at a man in another car in Notting Hill on 20 November 2023.

Shots hit Daniel Offei-Ntow, 27, in the head, mouth and body and he was "lucky not to die", prosecution barrister Kate Bex KC told the Old Bailey.

The shooting was captured on CCTV and the person who fired the shots had fired directly at the head of Mr Offei-Ntow, the court heard.

Tokosi, whose single Air Force peaked at number 20 on the UK singles chart, showed no reaction as the verdicts were returned.

Sobbing could be heard from the public gallery as the jury unanimously found him guilty.

Firearms officers found Mr Offei-Ntow severely injured in his flat near the scene in Clydesdale Road.

After being taken to hospital, bullet fragments were removed from his skull.

But Mr Offei-Ntow had declined to make a witness statement and did not participate in the trial, the jury heard.

The car used in the shooting was discovered by police more than a mile away, as well as a bag containing a firearm and three rounds of ammunition wrapped in clingfilm.

The prosecution case was that Tokosi had made trips in a BMW car from his father's address in Deptford to the area of the shooting on 18 and 19 November.

And DNA found on the headrest of a rear seat in the Audi could have come from him, the court heard.

DNA also found in the Audi was linked to the artist Kamal Benjamin, known as Wesson.

However, Mr Benjamin had left the United Kingdom in November 2023 and was apparently living in Dubai at the time of the shooting.

Mr Benjamin's Instagram account showed a video post of performer Lil Durk who performed in Dubai in November 2023 and another post that showed he was in a night club with rapper 50 Cent who performed in Dubai in December 2023.

Tokosi, from Deptford, south-east London, was also found guilty of possessing a firearm (a self-loading pistol) with intent to endanger life and possessing ammunition (a quantity of 9mm cartridges) with intent to endanger life .

He was also convicted on charges of possessing a prohibited weapon and ammunition without a firearms certificate.

Det Con Hannah Forrest, from the Metropolitan Police, said the attack was "savage".

She added: "Tokosi is a highly dangerous individual, who had - at the time of the shooting - only just been released from prison after serving time for a separate offence."

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