Man who stabbed Moscow17 drill rapper Incognito cleared of murder

A man accused of murdering a drill rapper has been cleared after he said he stabbed the musician in self-defence following the theft of his fake Cartier watch.

Kenneth Umezie, 32, was accused of killing Sidique Kamara, 23, who performed under the name Incognito, during the course of a street robbery gone wrong.

Mr Kamara, an influential artist in the Moscow17 group, collapsed and died in a south London street on 1 August, last year, after suffering two stab wounds.

Mr Umezie, from Southwark in south London, had pulled out a lock knife after his watch was taken during a robbery, the Old Bailey heard.

He told the court Mr Kamara was stabbed in the course of a struggle after he gave chase in an attempt to retrieve his watch.

Mr Umezie let out a deep sigh as he was acquitted of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter after insisting the alleged victim was stabbed accidentally as he acted in self-defence.

He was discharged from custody shortly after he was cleared.

Some have linked the drill hip hop sub-genre to escalating gang violence in London. Many music videos feature masked performers rapping about violence.

Moscow17’s videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

Last year, Mr Kamara and another Moscow17 member were cleared at the Old Bailey of murdering Abdirahman Mohamed, a brother of a member of rival group Zone 2.

(c) Sky News 2019: Man who stabbed Moscow17 drill rapper Incognito cleared of murder