Dean Pascale-Modeste died from stab wounds (Metropolitan Police/PA)
(Picture: PA Media)A drill rapper who featured on DJ Tim Westwood’s YouTube channel has been jailed for at least 23 years for the murder of a young music producer in front of horrified parents on the school run.
Jahtel Williamson, 26, was one of the ‘B Side’ gang members who ambushed 21-year-old Dean Pascal-Modeste while he was waiting for friends.
The victim, a budding filmmaker, was not part of a gang, but was caught up in a “poisonous” feud between B Side – from Bellingham near Catford – and the rival Splash gang in Grove Park.
Williamson, of Greenwich, went on the run after the murder, on February 24, 2017, but was traced to the US and extradited back to the UK to face justice in April last year.
The court heard Williamson – known as Tizzy – was among the masked and balaclava-clad young rappers from the B Side gang who appeared on Tim Westwood’s ‘crib sessions’ on YouTube.
Both gangs released videos to exchange insults as a gang feud escalated.
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC said Mr Pascal-Modeste, from Barking, east London, was with two friends in Grove Park on the day of the murder as they planned to make a music video.
He was waiting with one of them on a wall when two mopeds pulled up and one of the riders pointed a gun, jurors were told.
Mr Pascal-Modeste and his friend started to flee, but he ran into an ambush from other B Side members who were waiting – armed with knives.
In the course of a vicious attack, Dean sustained 14 separate stab wounds and two of the blows were struck with such force they penetrated his left lung. A post-mortem examination later gave these two wounds as the primary cause of death.
Williamson was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 23 years behind bars.
Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney, of the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “This defendant was part of gang who carried out a savage attack in broad daylight. Many had armed themselves and then set out determined to do violence. Dean was an innocent person, but that was immaterial, their blood was up and they hunted Dean through the streets, surrounded him and murdered him.
“Officers were determined to bring those responsible to justice and detailed searches of the area found some of the knives that had been used, and extensive CCTV and phone enquires helped place his killers at the scene. Two of his killers had fled abroad, but we were determined to find them and bring them to account and both have now been convicted.
“I also want to personally thank the many local residents who went to Dean’s aid or came forward as witnesses. The evidence they gave was compelling and helped to bring Dean’s killers to justice.”
