Solo 45 has been imprisoned for 24 years. (Facebook)
London, United Kingdom:
A UK court on Thursday jailed for 24 years a booming rap artist who was convicted of raping and repeatedly assaulting four women he had held against their will.
Andy Anokye was known by his stage name Solo 45 and had collaborated with stars such as Wiley and Stormzy when he was caught in 2017.
The 33-year-old was found guilty of 21 rapes and five counts of false imprisonment by a court in the city of Bristol, in the south-west of the country.
Judge William Hart told Anokye during sentencing that the rapper had “become addicted” to “perverse pleasure”.
“You were part of a well-known collective – Boy Better Know. The fellow artists of this collective have achieved great success,” said the judge.
“They are in no way tarnished by your wrongdoing which you have committed in a private manner.”
The grime collective was founded in London by musicians known as Jme and Skepta.
The Guardian newspaper said one of Anokye’s victims said she had been watched.
“He put me on the bed and put a flannel over my face and poured a bottle of water on it, which made me feel like I was drowning,” she said.
Another said she was stabbed in the thigh and held with a knife.
Anokye told the court that all of the acts were consensual role-playing in a game called “catch me, rape me”.
Police discovered videos of some of the incidents on Ankoye’s phone after his rape arrest
