Drill rapper jailed for Bellingham chicken shop murder

Nyron Jean-Baptiste had denied murder

A teenage drill rapper has been jailed for life for stabbing a 15-year-old boy to death outside a chicken shop.

Nyron Jean-Baptiste, killed Jay Hughes in Bellingham, south-east London, on 1 November last year.

The Old Bailey heard the teenager "did not stand a chance" when he was attacked by Jean-Baptiste, who was heard shouting "I got one" as he fled.

The 18-year-old, of Hawthorn Grove, Penge, denied murder. He will serve a minimum of 19 years in prison.

The court was told Jay Hughes had no gang affiliation and had been "just standing on the street"

The court heard Jay had been standing in the street with a friend when Jean-Baptiste jumped out of a car and stabbed him in the chest in a "brutal and ruthless attack".

The 15-year-old's friend was chased by two others but escaped.

Judge Anuja Dhir QC said Jean-Baptiste had been "embedded in knife gang culture", appearing in "gang videos on YouTube" and writing violent drill rap lyrics before the killing.

"Jay Hughes did not stand a chance of surviving," she said.

The defendant went into hiding following the attack but was caught a month after the killing in Gravesend, Kent, where he was found carrying a "large hunting knife".

Customers in the chicken shop gave Jay first aid but he was later pronounced dead in hospital

Police raided a house where he had been staying where they found "a collection of knives and masks", the court was told.

The 18-year-old was handed an additional four-month sentence after admitting possession of a knife in Gravesend on 10 December.

In an impact statement, Jay's mother, Cindy Hughes, said she had "so many special memories" about her son but had been left "so empty and sad inside".

Speaking about Jean-Baptiste, she said "her only hope... is that you can be truly rehabilitated and return to society as a better person".