Rapper DigDat jailed for life over drive-by shooting

Rapper Nathan Tokosi, also known as DigDat, has been jailed for life over a drive-by shooting in which the victim was severely injured.

Daniel Offei-Ntow, 27, was shot six times in the head, mouth and body as he sat in his car in Notting Hill, west London, early on November 20 2023.

The victim, a rival artist who performs as Lugavelz, has recently died and the court was told it was unconnected to the shooting and there was no third party involved.

On Tuesday, Tokosi, 26, of Deptford, south-east London, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years having been convicted of attempted murder and firearms offences over two trials last year.

The court was told Tokosi had eight previous convictions for 13 offences, including violence dating back to the age of 11 when he punched a girl in the face and punched and kneed a boy in the head in separate incidents four months apart.

At the age of 13, the defendant stabbed a victim in the ribcage during an altercation for which he was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to seven years’ youth detention and three years on extended licence.

In mitigation, the court was told Tokosi was a “laidback” young man caught up in the success of his music career and the “fast-paced and chaotic” lifestyle that went with it.

Shannon Revel, defending, said: “He described that his job as a rapper effectively became an existence, rather than something that he could take time off from.”

“Rising to success so quickly” gave Tokosi no real time for reflection, she said.

Having been diagnosed with ADHD aged 11, Tokosi had “struggled” with his behaviour at school, she added.

Sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Sarah Munro KC said she was in no doubt he was a dangerous offender.

Tokosi, whose single Air Force peaked at number 20 on the UK singles chart in 2018, was supported in court by his family.

He made a phone gesture to the public gallery where weeping could be heard as he was sent down.

Previously, prosecutor Kate Bex KC said the defendant was one of at least two people in a stolen Audi that pulled up beside Mr Offei-Ntow’s vehicle.

At least six shots were fired from a rear passenger window, hitting Mr Offei-Ntow in the head, mouth and body, and he was “lucky not to die”, Ms Bex said.

Firearms officers arrived quickly and found the victim’s Mitsubishi Outlander riddled with bullet holes and the interior covered in blood.

Officers followed a trail of blood and found Mr Offei-Ntow had returned to his flat and was sitting on a sofa “in shock and severely injured”, the court was told.

Police dogs recovered a latex glove and a black bag containing a firearm and three rounds of ammunition near to where the Audi was abandoned.

Further inquiries revealed that Tokosi had borrowed a BMW to make two trips on consecutive nights from his father’s home in Deptford, south-east London, to Notting Hill that weekend, the jury heard.

Ms Bex said it was clear Tokosi was involved in the shooting and there was no “innocent explanation” for the BMW and the Audi being in the same west London location.

Investigators found DNA belonging Tokosi and artist Kamal Benjamin, also known as Wesson, in the Audi used in the shooting.

But further evidence, including Mr Benjamin’s Instagram posts from Dubai, showed he had left the UK days before.

Mr Benjamin posted a video on Instagram of Lil Durk, who had performed in Dubai four days before the shooting.

Another post the following month showed him in a nightclub with rapper 50 Cent, who had performed in Dubai on December 21 2023.

At his attempted murder trial last February, Tokosi was also convicted of possessing a self-loading pistol and ammunition with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition.

Following a second Old Bailey trial in November, Tokosi was further convicted of possessing a firearm and ammunition on February 4 2024.

Helen Shaw, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This was an utterly mindless attack which very nearly claimed a life.

“That night, Nathan Tokosi clearly intended to kill his victim by shooting him in the head at a close range, with CCTV revealing Tokosi doing several drives around the area in a stolen Audi in the days and hours before the shooting.

“The Crown Prosecution Service was determined to ensure Tokosi was prosecuted for the full extent of his offending, and we hope today’s sentence will offer some closure to the victim’s family.”

Detective Inspector Chris Shepherd, from the Central South Borough Command Unit, said: “Tokosi’s actions were premeditated, reckless and malicious. He lied at trial, maintaining that he had no involvement whatsoever in the shooting.

“The committed police investigation to bring Tokosi before the courts reflects our no-tolerance approach to gang violence on London’s streets.

“I would like to credit the investigation team for their work bringing Tokosi to justice, as well as the officers and medical staff who treated the victim after the shooting.”

Detective Inspector Chris Shepherd, from Scotland Yard, said: “Tokosi’s actions were premeditated, reckless and malicious. He lied at trial, maintaining that he had no involvement whatsoever in the shooting.

“The committed police investigation to bring Tokosi before the courts reflects our no-tolerance approach to gang violence on London’s streets.

“I would like to credit the investigation team for their work bringing Tokosi to justice, as well as the officers and medical staff who treated the victim after the shooting.”