Do not use drill music to smear defendants, says CPS

DRILL music can “smear” defendants and prosecutors should be cautious when using it as evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has warned.

Mark Paul, a senior district crown prosecutor, said the sub-genre of hiphop, which commonly includes songs with violent lyrics and gang references, should not be introduced as part of a prosecution’s case unless it has legitimate evidential value.

This could include proving that defendants who claim not to know each other are actually friends, he said.

Discussing presenting drill music as evidence when it doesn’t add evidential weight, Mr Paul said: “We’re not there to smear defendants.” He added: “Drill music is an art form – sometimes intended to shock, sometimes not intended to be taken seriously.”

His comments were made at a briefing by the CPS Serious Violence, Organised Crime and Exploitation Unit.

It was opened in Birmingham last July in response to the drug-fuelled violence in the West Midlands.

The city is the third-largest county lines hub, behind London and Merseyside, and accounts for 20 per cent of all county lines activity.

Max Hill QC, director of Public Prosecutions, also emphasised that videoing or recording drill music in itself is not a

‘It would be wrong to say: “Here’s a drill music video, you can convict on the basis of this.” It is just music’

criminal act. “It would be wrong to say: ‘Here’s a drill music video – you can convict on the basis of this.’

“By its nature, it’s supposed to offend and shock, but in itself is not a crime.”

Douglas Mackay, West Midlands deputy chief crown prosecutor, said: “From my perspective, drill music is just music. We have to be cautious about introducing just music when it has no evidential value,” he added.