The family of a murdered schoolboy have criticised the prison system after their son’s killer was recalled after “boasting” about the crime in rap music.
Jake Fahri, then 19, was given a life sentence in 2009 with a minimum term of 14 years for killing schoolboy Jimmy Mizen by throwing an oven dish at him.
The glass dish shattered and severed blood vessels in 16-year-old Jimmy’s neck in a south London bakery on May 10 2008.
Witnesses reported seeing Fahri swaggering from the shop with a smile.
The Sun newspaper has claimed that Fahri, now 35, is masked drill artist TEN – who was showcased on BBC 1Xtra.
Recall was initiated for Fahri on Thursday after he was found to have breached his licence conditions, the Probation Service confirmed.
Hours after learning of the recall, Jimmy’s mother, Margaret Mizen, was due to give a talk to children about her son’s story and the importance of forgiveness.
The family are continuing their work to prevent others “going down a very similar path” to Fahri, Jimmy’s father said.
Barry Mizen told the PA news agency: “There’s no gloating from us whatsoever… it’s a sad, sad old business.
“I suppose it just leads us on to bigger questions about prison, about time served in prison.”
He noted that Fahri has served 15 years, “done all the courses you’re supposed to do”, and been backed by a parole board.
“I think we’ve got to ask ourselves, exactly what are we trying to achieve with prison? Is it just punishment? It can’t be because it serves nobody.
“Rehabilitation? Absolutely, but is it actually working? And how can we actually be sure? We probably can’t”.
He added: “We have visited prisons over the years, we have spoken to convicted murderers, and we have seen remorse… unfortunately that doesn’t seem to go in this particular case, which is sad for him, sad for his family.”
He added: “If you put an angry, violent person in prison and then they come out angry and violent, what on earth have you done? In essence, you’ve made it worse, not better”.
The family has not been told how Fahri breached his license.
Mr Mizen pointed to the Sun’s report that a music video shows Fahri in a part of Greenwich that he had been barred from entering.
He also questioned whether the breach could have been by inciting violence in his lyrics.
TEN’s music is not “cultural expression” or “pushing the realms of art”, it is “just very violent”, Mr Mizen said.
“You do absolutely wonder what impact this is having on young minds, getting sucked into the glamour of all this, glamourising murder and violence – it can’t be good for our young people”.
Jimmy’s family is trying to use their story to support children and young people through the Mizen Foundation.
They were previously told that Fahri faced issues during his childhood including being excluded from school, Mr Mizen said.
“I just wonder if there will be young versions of him in schools up and down are country, are we doing enough?”, he asked.
In one of TEN’s tracks available on Spotify and YouTube, the balaclava-clad rapper appears to reference Jimmy’s death, the Sun said.
TEN’s lyrics included the lines: “Stuck it on a man and watched him melt like Ben and Jerry’s. Sharpen up my blade I’ve got to keep those necessary.
“Stay alert and kept it ready, any corner could be deadly. Judge took a look at me, before the trial even started he already knows he’s gonna throw the book at me.”
Another track published by TEN said: “See a man’s soul fly from his eyes and his breath gone.”
It adds: “I wanted more, it made it less wrong. Seeing blood spilled same floor he was left on.”
Fahri was released on licence in June 2023 and his music was played on BBC 1Xtra less than 18 months later, the Sun reported, adding that DJ Theo Johnson named him an “up-and-coming star”.
A spokesperson for the Probation Service said: “Our thoughts are with Jimmy Mizen’s family who deserve better than to see their son’s murderer shamelessly boasting about his violent crime.
“All offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions. As this case shows, we will recall them to prison if they break the rules.”
After the news broke about the content of TEN’s lyrics, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer voiced concern about the “the significant additional stress that this will have caused to the family”, his official spokesman said.
He added: “When it comes to the BBC, obviously they are independent of government, they make their own editorial decisions.
“But the BBC, I think the public would rightly expect given their unique responsibilities to the public, that they would take complaints and any allegations like these seriously.”
The BBC said in a statement on Thursday: “This individual does not feature on any BBC playlists, we have never played – as we pointed out to the Sun – the lyrics they have printed.
“He’s had two other tracks played twice. 1Xtra has no further plans to play his music, we were not aware of his background and we in no way condone his actions.”
