A drill rapper who escaped custody twice and fled to France while awaiting deportation has been sentenced to 10 months in prison. Daniel Boakye, 21, was convicted of two offenses of escaping lawful custody.
Boakye, who performs as Dsavv, initially escaped from prison guards on February 10 while being taken to West Middlesex University Hospital. He reportedly slipped out of his handcuffs while using a hospital toilet. Police located him the following day at a property in Thamesmead, but he escaped a second time on February 15 while being transported in a wheelchair to Lewisham Hospital, this time without handcuffs.
He was eventually arrested on March 3 in La Bouëxière, France, more than two weeks after his second escape. Authorities stated they have limited information on how Boakye left Britain or entered France. An Interpol Red Notice had been issued prior to his arrest.
Boakye was serving a six-year sentence for conspiracy to commit robbery, a crime spree that occurred between June 2021 and January 2022. He and three others committed knifepoint robberies across London, stealing cryptocurrency valued at over £115,000 using victims' mobile phones and passcodes.
He was days away from a parole hearing and facing deportation to Ghana, where he has no family. The court heard that Boakye's attempts to appeal the deportation order were hindered by a lack of legal representation, leaving him feeling "at a loss and desperate." He reportedly chose France as his destination because he has family there.
During his time on the run, Boakye released a rap video taunting authorities, with lyrics referencing a character from the TV series "Top Boy" and boasting about his escape. While in police custody after his initial recapture, he was observed swallowing substances and was taken to Lewisham Hospital due to concerns he had ingested Class A drugs. It was during this hospital visit that he made his second escape.
Judge Charlotte Welsh acknowledged the pressure Boakye was under, facing deportation from the UK, where he had lived since age six. However, she noted that his escapes posed a public risk due to his history of violent offenses. Boakye's new sentence will be served consecutively to his existing robbery sentence. He remains subject to a deportation order upon completion of his sentence.