Rapper cleared of attack after ‘victim’ skipped trial to go rock climbing
AN ART gallery owner who accused a rap star of assault skipped the trial to go on holiday – and now faces an investigation after he was caught by defence lawyers who found photographs on Facebook, a court heard.
Kane Robinson, 32, a Mercury Prizenominated rapper who performs under the name Kano and has also appeared in Channel 4 drama Top Boy, was accused by Henry Kinman and Suzzan Atala of attacking them in Shoreditch House, east London, in September last year.
The couple claimed Mr Robinson repeatedly punched Mr Kinman and cut Ms Atala’s leg with a glass.
Roger Smart, the prosecutor, told the court that Ms Atala had not been heard from since February this year, while Mr Kinman, her former boyfriend, had not responded to correspondence since emailing officers on Aug 17 stating that he had to attend a family emergency involving his sister in the south of France.
But investigations by defence lawyers revealed that from Sept 1, this year, Mr Kinman, who founded the Kinman Gallery in Shoreditch in 2013, had posted pictures on social media of himself mountain climbing in Grenoble. Jeremy Dein QC, defending Robinson, said: “The scenario appears that whilst Mr Kinman has been dangling from a rope and enjoying a scenic view in the south of France, having told the police he was the victim of a family emergency, Mr Robinson has been overcome with anxiety at the prospect of this trial and the devastation of his career.”
He asked the judge for a full investigation into the circumstances of the case, accusing Mr Kinman of “toying with the criminal justice process”.
Judge Gregory Perrins said that there should be a full investigation into Mr Kinman’s conduct.
He said he had “total sympathy” both for Mr Robinson and co-defendant Christopher Brown, 30, and said they could “leave the court without a stain on [their] character”.