A man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after his drill lyrics provided crucial evidence linking him to an attempted murder.

Ryan Maqsood, 26, was convicted of attempted murder and possession of a bladed weapon after appearing at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 16 August.

He was sentenced at the same court two days later – reporting restrictions were in place until now.

Detective Sergeant Katy Phipps, who led the investigation, said: “Maqsood carried out a brutal attack on a 16-year-old boy which left him in a life threatening condition after suffering 19 stab wounds. He is extremely lucky not to have succumbed to his injuries.

“The evidence we gathered during this investigation left the jury with no doubt as to his guilt, despite the fact the victim did not wish to assist police.

“The drill music recovered from Maqsood’s phone included very specific details that we believe could only have been known to someone who was there when the incident took place.”

On 15 April 2019, police were called following a stabbing on Brookes Court, EC1. A 16-year-old boy was found with multiple stab wounds. A member of the public provided first aid before he was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition.

Detectives launched an investigation, conducting CCTV enquiries which showed seven attackers on push bikes on an apparent ‘ride out’ style gang attack. Two of them chased down the victim and stabbed him 19 times.

Two rambo-style knives, with the victim’s DNA on the blade, were found inside a backpack which had been hidden in bushes. Maqsood’s DNA was found on one of the knives and on the backpack, which was seen on CCTV being worn by one of the attackers.

As part of the police investigation, analysis was conducted of drill tracks written and performed by Maqsood who performed under the stage name ‘Rashy’. One of the tracks appeared to describe the stabbing in significant detail and included references that would only have been known by someone present at the time of the offence.

What is drill music:

An officer with specialist knowledge in drill music gave expert evidence in court to explain to the jury what the lyrics referred to. This was combined with expert local gangs evidence which provided further context.

Evidence revealed that the stabbing had been motivated by a conflict between street gangs within Islington.

Maqsood was sentenced 27 years in prison, plus a further five years on licence.

(Source: Metropolitan Police)