Bright Akinleye trial: Three men jailed over drill rap video killing of man in Euston

(R-L) Abdouli Ceesay, Tashan Brewster and Oliver Petts have all been jailed
Met Police
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Three men have been jailed for killing a drill rap manager who was stabbed during a promotional music video shoot following an online "war of words".

Bright Akinleye, 22, was set on by a group of men and stabbed three times with a large hunting knife at a flat in Euston, central London in February last year.

During the onslaught, he grabbed the blade then left a trail of blood as he ran 150 yards to a hotel foyer where he collapsed.

Mr Akinleye bled out from a severed femoral artery in his leg and was pronounced dead on the hotel floor just before midnight.

Stabbed to death: Bright Akinlele
Met Police

Abdouli Ceesay, 29, and Tashan Brewster, 32, were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Monday to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years.

It came after both were found guilty of Mr Akinleye's murder in March.

Oliver Petts, 30, who had pleaded guilty to manslaughter during the trial, was sentenced to five years’ in jail.

During the proceedings, the court heard how Mr Akinleye, a sports management graduate from Lewisham, had through his girlfriend become involved with a group of drill artists from Birmingham called 23 Drillaz.

The 22-year-old was killed in February last year
Met Police

He later became the manager for one of the rappers, who was involved in the video shoot.

After the sentencing, Detective Inspector Jamie Stevenson, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Today’s sentencing is the culmination of our investigation into the needless death of another young man.

“Our thoughts remain with Bright’s family as they continue to struggle to come to terms with him being snatched from them.

“This fatal stabbing stemmed from several people being involved in taunting on social media. I still cannot comprehend how it ended in such a violent murder.”

As detectives investigated events on the night of the stabbing, they found that Mr Akinleye had previously been involved in a feud with several others that included both parties posting messages on social media.

These featured incidents where people were assaulted or taunted.

At around 10.40pm on February 18 last year in a flat in Euston, Mr Akinleye was attacked by a group of men – one of whom had a large knife.

Despite suffering from a number of stab injuries, he was able to wrestle the knife away before running to the nearby hotel.

This knife was found next to him, and was later confirmed as having inflicted the fatal injuries.

Brewster's DNA was later found on its handle and more DNA evidence linked him to a pair of trainers that were stained with Mr Akinleye's blood.

The people who were in the flat were quickly identified by detectives.

A fourth defendant, Silas Loko, 27, was found not guilty of murder in March.

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