Pan Symeou represented a prominent musician on firearms charges involving drill/rap music who was found not guilty. Mr Tom Copeland of Garden Court Chambers was instructed. Following a three-week multi-handed trial at Croydon Crown Court, the jury...
Pan Symeou represented a prominent musician on firearms charges involving drill/rap music who was found not guilty. Mr Tom Copeland of Garden Court Chambers was instructed.
Following a three-week multi-handed trial at Croydon Crown Court, the jury unanimously acquitted the defendant of possession of two firearms and ammunition found in his car with his DNA being recovered from the handle of the pistol. The defendant was a rapper who has been described as a 'rising star' in the music industry. He comes from a drill background but amalgamates drill with other genres such as afrobeat on the international stage. The trial involved cross-examination of a DNA expert on secondary transfer and continuity of the DNA samples. A Prosecution slang expert gave evidence of his interpretation of the defendant's work in the drill genre in order to bolster the Crown's case. The defendant gave evidence over three days and presented a wider selection of his music which exposed how the prosecution was seeking to portray him as a criminal rather than an artist. Following a legal argument in relation to the lyrics/music videos, Mr Copeland persuaded the judge to give a favourable legal direction to the jury on how they should approach that kind of evidence in a criminal trial. A unanimous Not Guilty on all counts was achieved.
October 2025
