Lady Leshurr: Court case has been one of the worst experiences of my life

Rapper Lady Leshurr has said her career has been “ruined” and she did not have any income for a year before she was found not guilty of attacking her ex-girlfriend’s partner.

The 35-year-old, whose real name is Melesha O’Garro, was accused of assaulting Chante Boyea – who at the time was dating her ex-girlfriend Sidnee Hussein – just after 5am on October 22 2022, allegedly biting her hand so badly that she suffered “nerve damage”.

But a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on Wednesday found her not guilty on two counts of occasioning actual bodily harm.

In a video on Instagram after the verdict, the musician said the court case has been “one of the worst experiences of my life”.

She added in the accompanying caption: “For the past year I’ve been battling a court case from people that accused me of stalking, harassing and biting them but I was the victim.

“I was attacked and bitten by a dog and made out to be the aggressor.

“For a whole year people have deserted me, dropped me from deals, and didn’t want to work with me any more. For a whole year I have had no income.”

She added: “My brand/career has been ruined regardless no matter the outcome, but at least I have a clean record and can FINALLY get on with my life.”

Earlier in the trial, the former Dancing On Ice contestant said Ms Boyea, a security officer, attacked her first and used her Belgian Malinois dog Toby as a “weapon” during the incident in Walthamstow, north-east London – a claim she strongly denied.

O’Garro’s co-defendant, Sherelle Smith, was also found not guilty on one count of the same charge.