Sobbing was heard in court today as a rapper was found guilty of attempted murder over a drive-by shooting where the victim was “lucky not to die”. Despite suggestions Nathan Tokosi, also known as DigDat, had actually been out of the UK at the time Daniel Offei-Ntow, 27, was shot and severely injured as he sat in his car in Notting Hill, he was found guilty by a jury unanimously at the Old Bailey.
Daniel was targeted early on November 20, 2023. He was shot in the head, mouth and body, with police finding him after following a trail of blood to his flat. Sobbing could be heard from the public gallery as Tokosi, 25, of Grove Street in Deptford, was found guilty of attempted murder, and possessing a self-loading pistol and ammunition, both with intent to endanger life on Tuesday (March 18).
He was also found guilty of possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition. Tokosi, whose single Air Force peaked at number 20 on the UK singles chart, showed no reaction as the verdicts were returned.
Opening the trial in February, prosecutor Kate Bex KC said the defendant was one of at least two people in a stolen Audi which pulled up beside Mr Offei-Ntow’s Mitsubishi. 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.
Police found Daniel sitting on sofa 'in shock'
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 allegedly 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.
Investigators found DNA allegedly belonging Tokosi and artist Kamal Benjamin, aka Wesson, in the Audi used in the shooting. But further evidence, including Mr Benjamin’s Instagram posts from Dubai, suggested he had left the UK days before, jurors were told.
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.
'Highly dangerous individual involved in savage attack'
Detective Constable Hannah Forrest, from the Met's Specialist Crime South team, said: "This was a savage attack, with the victim requiring emergency surgery after being shot in the body, mouth and head. The verdict in this case shows that this violent criminality will not be tolerated on London's streets.
"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. I would like to pay tribute to the investigation team in this case, who were able to build a compelling forensic case against Tokosi. This proved indispensable at trial."
Sentencing was adjourned to a date yet to be fixed.
Sign up to our London Court & Crime newsletter for the latest major court updates and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up HERE
