Teenage rapper jailed for killing

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A teenage rapper has been jailed for four-and-a-half years for killing a 16-year-old schoolboy in a row about lyrics posted on the internet.

The 18-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the manslaughter of Ikye Nmezu from Edmonton, north London.

The rapper attacked the youth with a brick when they met by chance in Ponders End, north London, in February.

Judge Richard Hawkins told him he accepted he had not meant to kill Iyke.

But he added the use of the brick had been "plainly dangerous".

Footballer cleared

The lyrics of one of the defendant's songs mentioned a friend of Iyke's and had caused offence, leading to various insults being exchanged on the internet.

When the pair came face-to-face in Ponders End, the rapper struck Iyke on the forehead with the brick, then ran off.

Iyke went to two hospitals for treatment but his head was not scanned, the court heard.

He collapsed and died within hours of going to casualty for a third time two weeks after the attack

The cause of death was discovered to be an abscess to the brain caused by an infection.

A report into his treatment claimed there was a 70% he could have been saved if the brain injury had been noticed earlier.

Daryl Palmer, 20, of Thaxted, Essex, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by telling police he was with the defendant in Essex when the assault took place. He was given two years' youth custody.

A similar charge against Leyton Orient footballer Aiden Palmer, 21, was dropped at an earlier hearing.