Pa Salieu sentenced to 33 months in prison over part in 2018 mass brawl
He was convicted for violent disorder and possessing a bottle as an offensive weapon
Pa Salieu has been sentenced to 33 months in prison, The Guardian reports.
The UK rapper, real name Pa Salieu Gaye, was convicted for violent disorder and possessing a bottle as an offensive weapon during a mass brawl that happened in 2018. He was acquitted of a second count of violent disorder, in relation to the same incident, in March of this year.
His lawyer, Jonathan Woodcock, asked for a suspended sentence and said there was a "realistic prospect of rehabilitation".
During a court case, prosecutors said the musician took part in a fight outside Coventry's Club M after his friend, Fidel "AP" Glasgow, was stabbed to death at the age of 21. Nobody has yet been charged in connection with the murder of Glasgow to date, with West Midlands police continuing to investigate the case.
During the fight, Pa Salieu used both a bottle and a tree branch to attack a 23-year-old man, according to prosecutors. The rapper, who is now aged 25, was 21 when the fight outside Club M took place and is one of nine men to have been convicted in connection with it.
Sentencing Salieu, the judge said: "You are a young man who has already suffered impacts on your career as a result of these proceedings but I observe it is a career that has flourished nonetheless.
While showing sympathy for the loss of the rapper's friend and speaking positively of the work he has since done to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the judge added: "Those are factors that speak well of you and must be taken into account in your favour. I want you to focus on getting your life back on track and make the most of your talents, which I trust you will be able to do."
Salieu has one previous conviction for possessing a knife. He received a suspended sentence in that case, which happened in 2015.
Following that, he began to focus on music and eventually released his debut album, 'Send Them To Coventry', in 2020. He's also collaborated with the likes of FKA twigs, slowthai, Aitch, Backroad Gee and Mura Masa. In 2021, he was named as the winner of the BBC’s Sound of 2021 poll and had a track, 'Energy', feature in series three of Top Boy.
