Rapper cleared again

A drill rapper accused of stabbing a university student to death with a machete at a New Year’s Eve party was cleared of murder.

Daniel Lena, 20, known as ‘Unknown T’ had been accused of knifing Steve Narvaez-Jara, 20, in the heart at a house party near Old Street, Islington on New Year’s Day in 2018.

Mr Narvaez-Jara, an engineering student at the University of Hertfordshire, was dragged to the floor after Mohammed Musse, allegedly tried to chat up a guest’s girlfriend.

A Snapchat video taken by a party-goer capturing the fatal attack, captioned ‘beef got crackin’. was played to the court.

It showed attackers wielding large wooden objects in the middle of a crowded room.

Lena rose to fame in the months following the murder with hit track ‘Homerton B’ in which he boasts about owning knives and killing rivals.

The song opens with the lines: ‘Samurais in batches/Bang the ting goes back in the jacket/Hope the clip or the spinner can backflip.’

Lena has appeared on stage at London’s 20,000-capacity O2 Arena as a guest of the Canadian rapper Drake.

But he was arrested and charged with murder last July, just days after performing at the Wireless Festival in Finsbury Park.

DC Alison Shepard told jurors how she turned up to arrest Lena at his home address to which he replied: ‘I’ve been expecting you.’

The ‘sleepy’ rapper was wearing nothing but a pair of tracksuit bottoms when he woken up by officers who had been led upstairs by his little sister.

He was later interviewed and said he dislocated his shoulder in a brawl.

Giving evidence Lena insisted he had nothing to do with the death of the Hertfordshire University student and said he was not involved in any violence that night.

He said he did not punch anyone and had no knowledge of anyone armed with a machete at the party.

The former De Montfort University student told the court he signed to music company Universal in September 2018, and has performed around the world.

Lena and Ramani Boreland, 21, were cleared of murder but Boreland alone was convicted of manslaughter by a majority of ten to two.

Musse was convicted of violent disorder.

An Old Bailey jury cleared Lena of manslaughter and violent disorder after deliberating for 18 hours.

The public gallery was packed with family members and the mother of Boreland ran from the court weeping her cries echoing down the corridor as the verdicts were read.

In 2017 when Lena was only 17 he was cleared by an Old Bailey of stashing a 4mm revolver and ammunition under his bed after claiming the gun was ‘foisted upon’ him by a stranger.

Describing the murder at the New Year’s Eve party Crispin Aylett, prosecuting, said: ‘The fight descended into a large brawl. Bottles were thrown, weapons were brandished.

‘There came a point when Steve was on the floor and he was being attacked by a number of people. He was punched; struck with pieces of wood; hit with a machete; and stabbed twice in the chest and once in the arm.’

A witness, who cannot be named, had said in a statement read to the court: ‘At the time of the countdown to the New Year a lot more people arrived, at the most I think there were about 100 people.

‘Suddenly a fight broke out right in front of me, it was very crowded so I couldn’t really see everyone involved.

‘A man next to me was waving his arm really aggressively.

‘He used his right arm and brought it down from his shoulder three or four times.

‘I never saw his face. After he had swung his arms a few times he ran down the stairs.

‘As he ran past me I saw a large machete style knife, the blade was just like the ones I’ve seen video games and films.

‘I noticed Shadell’s partner was on the floor bleeding. There was a lot of blood and at 2.34 I made a call to 999.’

Lena and Boreland, both of Hackney, denied and were cleared of murder.

Boreland was convicted of manslaughter and violent disorder.

Musse, also of Hackney, denied but was convicted of violent disorder at the party in Bartholomew Court, Old Street.

Boreland and Musse will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.