Drill music is no more violent than The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, court hears

Drill music is no more violent than The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, a court has heard during a murder trial involving rival gangs.

Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, 19, was stabbed to death by members of a north London gang known as the NPK at the Coffee and Cream Hairdressers, prosecutors say.

His friend, 20-year-old Jason Fraser, was stabbed eight times and shot once but survived on February 22 this year during the attack in Wood Green, London.

Prosecutors claim the attackers wrote rap lyrics about the killing, publishing a music video of themselves "bragging" about their violence after the murder.

Two men and three teenagers are on trial accused of a killing described as being "reminiscent of a Hollywood film". Both victims had links to a Wood Green-based gang called WGM.

Yesterday a defence counsel told jurors at the Old Bailey that the lyrics allegedly posed by the defendants were a "red herring", and said that using them amounted to a "cosy, clean, Midsomer Murders style" treatment of the facts.

John Cooper, defending a 17-year-old who cannot be named, quoted John Lennon and Mick  Jagger in an attempt to illustrate his point.

Citing the Beatles lyric from Run For Your Life, he said: "I'd rather see you dead little girl than be with another man.

"This is not a drill artist - this is Paul McCartney and John Lennon from The Beatles. It is an utter, utter red herring.

"It's not simply the domain of drill. Let's not presume to understand everyone's culture and everyone's musical genre.

"Drill might not be our cup of tea. But it is as indicative of violence as Paul McCartney and John Lennon."

Next, Mr Cooper read out the lyrics "I'll stick my knife down your throat baby and it hurts" and asked jurors which song it featured in.

Informing them it was the Rolling Stones song 'Midnight Rambler', he went on: "'This should be put in the box where it belongs, marked irrelevant.

"It's hard to get your head around the tragedy that runs right the way through this trial. It does not lend itself to cosy, clean, Midsomer Murders style analysis.

"Young black men gathering in a car park might be suggested in some way to be suspicious. "It's not the case that a group of young black people in some way indicative of criminal activity."

Oliver Glasgow, QC, prosecuting, said earlier: "The rivalry between these two groups has been a violent and bloody one, with each gang carrying out attacks on their rivals and then boasting about it online.

"These defendants have even boasted about the death of Mr Gabbidon-Lynck in rap lyrics.

"Life, it would appear, has little value to them and is something to be taken away for almost no reason and then to be the subject of cruel and offensive bragging."

The lyrics in the drill music rap said: "The NPK got their Rambos out. They were wiping Wood Green off the map."

Tyrell Graham, of Leyton, a 20-year-old from Tottenham, who cannot be named for legal reasons, the 17-year-old from Tottenham, a 16-year-old from Wood Green, and another 16-year-old from Edmonton, all deny murder and the attempted murder of Mr Fraser.

The 20-year-old denies possession of handgun with intent to endanger life and the 16-year-old denies possession of a knife.

The trial continues