Rapper DigDat jailed for life over notting hill drive-by shooting

The 26-year-old rapper Nathan Tokosi, known professionally as DigDat, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years for the attempted murder of a rival artist in west London.

The sentencing at the Old Bailey followed Tokosi’s conviction for a high-profile drive-by shooting that occurred in Notting Hill on the morning of November 20, 2023.

The victim, 27-year-old Daniel Offei-Ntow, who performed under the stage name Lugavelz, was sitting in his Mitsubishi Outlander when he was targeted in what the prosecution described as a "mindless" and "premeditated" attack.

Medical evidence presented to the court confirmed that Mr Offei-Ntow was shot six times at close range, with bullets striking him in the head, mouth, and body.

The court was informed that while the victim recently died, his death was entirely unconnected to the shooting and involved no third-party intervention.

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Judge Sarah Munro KC, presiding over the sentencing, formally designated Tokosi a dangerous offender, stating there was no doubt regarding the threat he posed to the public.

The prosecution established that Tokosi was one of at least two occupants in a stolen Audi that pulled alongside the victim’s vehicle before discharging a firearm through a rear passenger window.

Metropolitan Police firearms officers who arrived at the scene discovered the victim's vehicle riddled with bullet holes and the interior heavily blood-soaked.

Investigators followed a trail of blood to a nearby flat where they located Mr Offei-Ntow in a state of shock and suffering from life-threatening injuries.

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Crucial forensic evidence was recovered near the abandoned Audi, where police dogs located a latex glove and a black bag containing a firearm and three rounds of ammunition.

Surveillance data and vehicle tracking revealed that Tokosi had borrowed a BMW to conduct two separate trips from his father’s home in Deptford to the shooting location on the nights preceding the attack.

DNA belonging to the defendant and another artist, Kamal Benjamin, was identified within the stolen Audi, though Benjamin was later proven to have been in Dubai at the time of the offence.

Tokosi’s criminal history was detailed in court, revealing a pattern of extreme violence that began at the age of 11 when he was involved in multiple assaults on other children.

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At the age of 13, the defendant was previously convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to seven years’ youth detention after stabbing a victim in the ribcage during an altercation.

In mitigation, the defence argued that Tokosi’s rapid rise to fame in the music industry, including a top 20 UK single in 2018, led to a "fast-paced and chaotic" lifestyle that precluded reflection.

The court also considered the defendant's childhood diagnosis of ADHD and his subsequent struggles with behaviour within the school environment.

The Crown Prosecution Service maintained that Tokosi clearly intended to kill his victim, citing CCTV footage of the defendant conducting multiple reconnaissance "drives" around the area in the hours before the shooting.

Following a second trial in November, Tokosi was further convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition in relation to a separate incident in February 2024.

Detective Inspector Chris Shepherd stated that the successful prosecution reflects a zero-tolerance approach to firearms offences and gang-related violence on the streets of the capital.

Tokosi will remain in custody for at least 24 years before he becomes eligible for parole consideration by the Parole Board.