EXCLUSIVE Britain's 'most hated drill rapper' is hauled to court AGAIN from his prison cell after driving his £200,000 Lamborghini without insurance near Piccadilly Circus
Digga D was prosecuted over the incident in 2023 while languishing in HMP Brixton where he is currently serving more than three years for drugs offences.
The 24-year-old star, whose birth name is Rhys Herbert, has been convicted of driving the supercar without insurance on Piccadilly in the West End of London in October 2023.
Piccadilly Circus is where he has filmed his music videos in the past, once shutting it down when he was mobbed by fans who scaled the world-famous statue of Eros.
He faces an unlimited fine and a potential driving ban, according to court documents, and may even appear at Bexley Magistrates' Court from his London jail via video link when he is sentenced.
Digga D is currently serving time for importing and dealing close to 50kg of cannabis. He was arrested last year and lives-streamed the moment armed police crashed into his home.
Digga, as he is called by his fans, has multiple convictions for gang-related crime and drugs with friends claiming he had earned up to £3million from rapping before he was jailed four months ago. He told a court last year that he began smoking drugs aged 12.
His use of rap songs and videos to goad rivals and glorify violence has seen him dubbed 'London's most hated rapper' online due to the number of enemies he has.
Herbert, from west London, was even subject to a ultra-rare police order that controls his musical output because it was linked to violence.
On one occasion he was almost blinded when stabbed in the eye by a rival during a previous spell in jail for a machete attack. On another occasion someone tried to kill him by opening fire on him in his car, MailOnline understands.
In January this year Digga D was jailed for three years and 11 months for selling 45 kilos of cannabis after helping import the illegal drug from the US.
He was arrested after police launched a raid on his property in Bracebridge Heath near Lincoln in the early hours of February 21 last year - while he was broadcasting live on Instagram .
He pleaded guilty last May to importing 3.6 kilos of cannabis in June and July 2023 and a further charge of supplying cannabis.
At his sentencing in January Judge Simon Hirst decided on the level of Herbert's drug dealing after hearing two days of evidence, because the prosecution did not accept the basis of his pleas.
Judge Hirst said he was satisfied Herbert had played a significant role in selling cannabis for a commercial profit and jailed him for just under four years.
Digga can be heard shouting: 'What do you lot want, I'm here! I am here! Stop! What are you lot doing?' with the sound of smashing glass in the background
The court heard Herbert had six previous convictions for 13 offences, including possessing an offensive weapon and violent disorder for which he was sentenced to 30 months youth detention in March 2020.
Herbert told a previous hearing that he began smoking cannabis from the age of 12 and used the drug throughout his teenage years to "help with his frequent migraines".
He claimed it was 'a benefit' to buy his cannabis in bulk as he could afford it and it proved cheaper.
The musician said buying in bulk also reduced the chance of him coming to the attention of the police as he was often stopped both in London and elsewhere in the country.
He said he also obtained bags of cannabis to use in the video for his hit song I'm From.
Mobile phone footage of the star handling a bag of cannabis and allegedly complaining about the poor quality was also played in court.
A number of photographs also showed Herbert handling large amounts of cash, the court was told.
His criminal past goes back to his teenage years.
He last left prison in May 2020 after being sentenced to two and a half years for his part in a machete brawl in front of shoppers in central London.
Digga D (pictured centre) invited his fan base to join him in Piccadilly Circus in London when he filmed a new music video in 2023. It was nearby where he was caught driving the Lamborghini
Anti-knife campaigners also criticised the BBC for producing a documentary about a violent rapper in which he complains about his struggle to make music that glorifies gang attacks.
BBC promotional material for the programme at the time stated: 'Police say they target drill because it promotes and causes violence, but the genre's supporters call this censorship and say that the art simply reflects real life. Digga's situation, and his ongoing story, embodies this dilemma.
A Metropolitan Police order even banned him rapping about rivals or specific attacks, although he can refer to violence generally.
His supporters said he was being censored.
But he had hidden apparent coded references to attacks in songs, and the name of his group, The Conspiracy Gang Members, is thought to be a 'tribute' to members of his 1011 drill gang arrested in 2018 on their way to attack rivals.
In 2018 five members of the 1011 gang, including Digga D, were jailed and banned from making violent videos after they were caught with machetes and baseball bats on the way to attack a rival gang in 2017.
They had got in a black car and drove towards the postcode area of their rival's, the '12 World Gang' from Shepherd's Bush, intent on revenge.
But police swooped and found they were carrying deadly weapons.
A judge banned the five young men from mentioning death or injury in their songs or on social media and ordered them to inform police before they record or perform songs.
In 2019 cyber criminals broke into the Metropolitan Police Twitter account and posted tweets calling for the release of Digga D from jail.
In a now-deleted tweet the hackers wrote: 'FREE DIGGA D ON FOENEM GANG.'
The account, which is normally only used to update the public on ongoing policing matters, had posted tweets that said: ''F*** the police' and 'What you gonna do ... phone the police?'
In one video viewed nearly three million times, on YouTube Digga D boasted about having to bleach his knife after using it to attack someone.
His songs are also explicit about sex as well as gang rivalries in London.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
24 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Trump's visit to Scotland is in ‘public interest', says Chancellor
Mr Trump is due to touch down in Scotland on Friday evening ahead of a four-day visit, during which he will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney. His meeting with Sir Keir is seen as a chance to refine the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Rolls-Royce factory near Glasgow Airport on Friday morning, the Chancellor talked up the importance of the visit. 'It's in Britain's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, but actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal,' she said. US President Donald Trump will touch down in Scotland on Friday evening (PA) 'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.' Ms Reeves dodged a question relating to senior ministers – including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray – supporting a motion when in opposition in 2019 calling for the president's first state visit to be cancelled and accusing him of 'misogyny, racism and xenophobia'. Mr Trump is expected to visit both of his golf clubs in Scotland – in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire – during the visit, which has been described as 'private' by the White House, before leaving on Tuesday. His presence is likely to spark protests across the country, with Police Scotland being forced to request aid from other forces to help increase manpower for the trip. In a carefully worded statement ahead of the visit, Mr Swinney said the focus it will bring to Scotland will allow people to have their voice heard on issues including 'war and peace, justice and democracy'. First Minister John Swinney will meet the US president during his visit to Scotland (PA) Speaking to the PA news agency on Friday, the First Minister said his meeting with Mr Trump would present an opportunity to 'essentially speak out for Scotland' on issues like trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland. 'But there are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister,' he said. 'That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza. 'I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the President of the United States. 'We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard.' Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the President's visit to do so 'peacefully and to do so within the law'.
North Wales Chronicle
24 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trump's visit to Scotland is in ‘public interest', says Chancellor
Mr Trump is due to touch down in Scotland on Friday evening ahead of a four-day visit, during which he will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney. His meeting with Sir Keir is seen as a chance to refine the UK-US trade deal which came into force last month. Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Rolls-Royce factory near Glasgow Airport on Friday morning, the Chancellor talked up the importance of the visit. 'It's in Britain's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, but actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal,' she said. 'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.' Ms Reeves dodged a question relating to senior ministers – including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray – supporting a motion when in opposition in 2019 calling for the president's first state visit to be cancelled and accusing him of 'misogyny, racism and xenophobia'. Mr Trump is expected to visit both of his golf clubs in Scotland – in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire – during the visit, which has been described as 'private' by the White House, before leaving on Tuesday. His presence is likely to spark protests across the country, with Police Scotland being forced to request aid from other forces to help increase manpower for the trip. In a carefully worded statement ahead of the visit, Mr Swinney said the focus it will bring to Scotland will allow people to have their voice heard on issues including 'war and peace, justice and democracy'. Speaking to the PA news agency on Friday, the First Minister said his meeting with Mr Trump would present an opportunity to 'essentially speak out for Scotland' on issues like trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland. 'But there are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister,' he said. 'That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza. 'I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the President of the United States. 'We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard.' Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the President's visit to do so 'peacefully and to do so within the law'.
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Nine charged after protests outside Epping asylum hotel, Essex Police say
Nine people have been charged following last week's protests outside an Essex hotel believed to be housing asylum seekers. Protests outside the Bell Inn hotel in Epping began peacefully but 'escalated to the point of disorder and criminal damage'. Now Essex Police say a total of nine people have now been charged following the force's continuing investigation into last week's incidents. Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said on Friday: "I'm really grateful to the people of Epping who wanted to make their voices heard yesterday and did so peacefully. "I'll take this opportunity to thank them again. As people will have seen, we had a really robust police operation around the protest. "We wanted to ensure everyone could safely go about their business, minimising disruption, while facilitating peaceful protest. "We are continuing to investigate those few intent on exploiting peaceful protests to launch assaults on officers, cause criminal damage, or commit disorder. "They can expect a knock on the door." There have been a series of demonstrations outside the hotel since asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault after an incident earlier this month in which he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Kebatu denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court last Thursday. The Home Office, meanwhile, has said it is working to close hotels and 'restore order' after a council unanimously voted to urge the government to shut a hotel housing asylum seekers following a series of protests around the site. Further protests took place on the evening of Thursday, July 24, outside the same hotel, and one person was arrested. Dozens gathered outside the venue – although shortly after 7.30pm, police said the latest demonstration had 'so far been peaceful'. However, an arrest was made over breaching an order in place that prevents anyone from wearing a face covering, Essex Police confirmed. Some of the protesters could be seen wearing English and Union flags draped over their backs as they stood behind fencing erected outside the hotel. A large billboard set up behind the fencing also showed English flags with the words 'Protect Our Kids'.
