Brit-nominated rapper Pa Salieu has been sentenced to 33 months in prison by a British judge today. The 25-year-old rapper had been arrested in connection with a violent altercation between a number of people in Coventry back in 2018.
The violence originally erupted after the death of Salieu’s close friend Fidel Glasgow. Glasgow, who was the grandson of The Specials singer Neville Staple, was stabbed to death following a concert in September of 2018. Salieu responded by assaulting a 23-year-old man with a tree branch. Salieu’s assault led to a 10-day hospital stay for the man.
The presiding judge on the case, Judge Peter Cooke, told Salieu, “Anyone harbouring the view that you are a young man being hard done by should pause to reflect that despite having a conviction for carrying a knife three years earlier – which resulted in a suspended sentence – in the course of these events you used two bottles and a stick. It was your intention to turn a bottle into a jagged weapon.”
The judge added, “The case illustrates the dangers for any young man of acting with a pack mentality and getting involved in mass disorder. If you do that somebody is likely to end up seriously injured or dead. What happened to Fidel could have happened to anyone in that melee.”
“I want you to focus on getting your life back on track,” the judge reportedly told Salieu, “coming out and making the most of your talents, which I trust you will be able to do.”
Salieu was one of six individuals sentenced on Friday. His defence team attempted to persuade the judge that Salieu was not one of the main aggressors in the attack and had even attempted to quell the violence once it got out of hand. Salieu was sentenced to 27 months for violent disorder and six months to be served consecutively for possession of an offensive weapon.
