British rapper Pa Salieu sentenced to 33 months in prison for brawl

Due to his involvement in a mass brawl, British rapper and singer Pa Salieu has been sentenced to 33 months- nearly three years- in prison.

The fight broke out following the fatal stabbing of his 21 year old friend Fidel Glasgow, grandson of The Specials' Neville Staple. No one has been charged with the 2018 murder of Glasgow, although ten people were charged in relation to the incident- including the rapper named BBC's Sound of 2021.

Warwick Crown Court heard Salieu was seen on CCTV using a tree branch as a weapon, who was reported by Sky News to have spent ten days in the hospital. Salieu also used a smashed and brandished bottle to defend himself, he claimed. The brawl took place outside Coventry's Club M after a performance by singer Mr Eazi.

Salieu remained firm on his stance of self defense, claiming "[his] intention for hitting that bottle (on the ground) was to warn" off a a man who he believed to have a knife. "I just followed to disarm him. That's what I believed."

Judge Peter Crooke, as reported by the Mirror, told Salieu, "The case illustrates the dangers for any young man of acting with a pack mentality and getting involved in mass disorder." He continued, "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."

Judge Crooke imposed no financial penalty, explaining to "want [Salieu] to focus on getting [his] life back on track." He sentenced the musician to 27 months for violent disorder, and a further six months to be served consecutively for the possession of an offensive weapon.

In the sentencing, the judge took into account Salieu's close relationship with Glasgow, and his "laudable effort to assist people from disadvantaged backgrounds."