The Metropolitan Police have defended their use of drill rap lyrics as evidence in court trials, a practice that has been employed to help secure convictions in recent London murder cases.
Valentina Locci, whose 15-year-old son Leonardo Reid was killed by gang members, stated that the use of drill lyrics was justified in bringing his killers to justice. She described hearing lyrics about a death as "the most horrifying thing" for a family member and asserted that if individuals are permitted to write about deceased persons, then those lyrics should be admissible in court proceedings aimed at achieving justice.
The organization Art Not Evidence acknowledged the Metropolitan Police's recognition of the need for care and safeguards when presenting rap and drill music evidence to juries. However, the group raised questions about the sufficiency of current safeguards.
"Experience has shown that creative expression is still used in ways that invite prejudicial assumptions about criminality or gang membership, despite having limited or no relevance to the offence being tried," a spokesperson for Art Not Evidence stated. The organization is calling for "clear statutory safeguards" to ensure that such music is only admitted as evidence when it is "genuinely relevant, reliable and not unduly prejudicial."