Jamelia stepbrother was allowed trial pseudonym

The stepbrother of the singer Jamelia was granted a pseudonym for his murder trial because her fame meant jurors could find out he was linked to previous killings, it has emerged.

Tafarwa Beckford was yesterday convicted of shooting dead Derek Junior Myers during a mass brawl outside a pool hall in Hockley, Birmingham, on Oct 30 2015.

Beckford, 36, was allowed to use his middle name Theodore instead of his first name so jurors at Birmingham Crown Court would not know he was acquitted of two gangland murders in 2000 and 2005. Beckford, of Ladywood, Birmingham, will be sentenced next week.