Musician denies laying a finger on rapper’s brother

A musician accused of killing a popular rapper’s brother at a video shoot with snakes and reptiles told a court he has asked the real killer to hand himself in.

Stephen Morrisson, 30, was shirtless, talking loudly and banging his head against a tree while cameras rolled on performers with live reptiles in Epping Forest in Essex.

Yonas Girma, 29, a rapper turned Instagram wildlife influencer known as ‘Ty From The Wyld’, allegedly punched Mr Morrisson before Ellis Heather, 26, stabbed him in the chest, the Old Bailey has heard.

Mr Morrisson, a content creator and the brother of rapper Morrisson, had arrived in a stolen black Vauxhall Corsa at the Wake Valley pond car park, where he tried to get involved in the music video and asked the group if they knew who he was

After being told off for speaking to one of the group’s girlfriends he drove his car towards the group of men and they attacked him, it is claimed.

Rappers Girma, known as ‘Yosh’ or ‘Ty’ and Heather, known as ‘Rackz’ both deny murder on 23 June 2020.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey today (mon) Girma said he was born and brought up in London.

He said he does not smoke or take drugs because of a health scare when he was young which needed chemotherapy treatment- but said he does drink occasionally.

He told jurors: ’We had recorded a song in the weeks prior so wanted to do a music video for it.’

He said a private farm was hired for the shoot.

‘We all have our requests of what we like in the music video and what I wanted was some animals.’

Girma said someone hired animals adding: ‘I think he just took whatever animals they had.’

He said the music video would feature him, Heather and an artist called AP.

He said his girlfriend Crystal Wynter drove him to the farm where the video would be shot.

Girma said the shoot was supposed to start at 3pm but he did not get there until nearly 6pm.

He said when they arrived at the Wake Arms car park Mr Morrisson approached the group and was slurring his words.

He said he saw Mr Morrisson go and get into his car.

‘He just started drifting, doing donuts around in circles. It was like he was getting a bit too close for comfort so we walked back a bit.

‘Everyone’s got up to try and record him with their phones. He was kicking up a lot of dust.

‘And then out of nowhere that’s when Morrisson’s just drove his car into everyone.’

Girma said he was towards the back of the group of people that Mr Morrisson drove at.

‘It don’t look like he’s gonna stop so everyone’s jumped to the sides and then he gets out of his car.

‘He just randomly tried to ram into everybody so I was just confused at the time.’

He said there had not been any tension or argument he was aware of but he knew that Mr Morrison had been told he could not be in the music video.

‘He’s jumped out of his car and there was a lot of people in front.

‘Ellis threw his hand up, what I thought was a punch at the time.

‘They were trying to grab him, push him out the way, cause he just tried to run everyone over.’

He said he did not join the scuffle and was never within touching distance of Mr Morrisson.

‘I didn’t touch the guy at all,’ he said.

He said he did not see a knife.

‘Everyone just ran towards their cars. Someone shouted out “cut.”

Girma said everyone included Mr Morrisson got into cars and drove out of the car park.

He said everyone panicked and got into their cars instinctively but said he did not know someone had been stabbed: ‘I just thought it was a scuffle’.

He said he did not see any blood on Mr Morrisson.

Girma said he did not know if the people who had brought the animals had also left in their cars.

He said he got Ms Wynter’s car as the driver and Heather ‘bolted into the back seat’.

‘I don’t think nothing was said until we got to the main road, Crystal asked Rackz ‘what the hell Rackz are you okay”.

Girma said they drove back to a car park near Ms Wynter’s home and others including Monique Gilligan.

He said Heather then told him he had stabbed Mr Morrisson.

‘This is when Ellis just came out with it and say what he done but it didn’t register straight away.

‘I kind of questioned it- he was just saying “man was moving a bit too mad” or whatever.

‘I didn’t know if he had drunk too much so I walked off.’

Patrick Gibbs, KC, defending Girma, asked: ‘What did you make of that news?’

Girma replied: ‘I was just annoyed with him, I was asking him “why did you do that?” sort of thing.’

He said he ‘kind of doubted’ what Heather had told him because he saw Mr Morrisson drive off and did not see any blood.

Girma said he wanted to go home but was persuaded to go to Heather’s house where people were ‘chilling’, playing drinking games and smoking weed.

The rapper, who said he did not drink or smoke weed, told the court he went to sleep at Heather’s house and in the morning saw a ‘rest in peace post’ online about Mr Morrisson.

He said he went downstairs and showed everyone.

Girma said Heather and Monique Gilligan left the house and Heather said: ‘I need to go and plot off the thing.’

Asked what he thought that meant, Girma said: ‘I need to go hide the knife.’

He said Ms Gilligan heard this.

He said when Heather returned he told him to hand himself in.

Asked how he was feeling about what happened, Girma said: ‘I was p—sed of about the whole situation’.

‘Were you worried for yourself?’ Mr Gibbs said.

‘Yes cause everyone was there,’ Girma replied.

He said he and Ms Wynter were arrested on 3 July.

Girma said after this he went to Heather and again told him to hand himself in.

Girma, of Hanworth, west London, and Heather, of Taplow, Buckinghamshire, deny murder.

The trial continues.