Sheffield man accused of attempted murder of 12-year-old boy in alleged drive-by shooting denies prison rap proves his guilt

Stephen Dunford said the lyric "If I get a ten-spot" was a reference to "hopefully getting off with ten months for driving without a licence."

"It's only music, it's only entertainment," he said. "This was the first time I ever tried to rap. I was rapping about my case. I was pinching other peoples' words.

"I was trying to remix what I heard to make it sound better."

During a prison visit in February, he was recorded saying: "I have got these bullets, something needs to happen with that."

Dunford said he was trying to "big himself up" because he was held on a protection wing with "baby killers and child molesters."

He said he had been slashed in the face, adding: "It's not a good thing to be sent into jail for. I was getting targeted left, right and centre."

The line "I am evil-minded you know what I am saying, I will do bad things to people," he said was a "bitter" reference to an ex-girlfriend.

Prosecutor Stephen Wood QC said Dunford was the ringleader of a gang based in Heeley involved in a dispute with a rival gang from Arbourthorne, and Dunford denied this.

He asked the father-of-five how he paid for his lifestyle, including an £8,500 Rolex watch and hiring expensive cars, and Dunford claimed he sometimes "sold a little bit of cannabis".

Mr Wood said the lyrics really meant: "If you don't get away with this then you're looking at a long time in jail."

He told Dunford that the court will also compare music by the rapper Snap Capone, tomorrow, to see “if you have borrowed lyrics or whether they are autobiographical.”

A jury found Dunford's co-defendant, Devon Gregory, 23, of Heeley Green, Heeley, Sheffield, not guilty of attempted murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Dunford, 25, of Fellbrigg Road, Arbourthorne denies a further charge of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life after a separate incident on Northcote Avenue, Sheffield, in January.The trial continues.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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