QUIRKY WORLD ... Stars in prisoners’ eyes: Rapping duo get 9 months
Moysha Shepherd and Demehl Thomas, who appeared in court via a videolink to HMP Birmingham, sniggered as a judge said he did not want to waste time watching their rap duet.
The defendants, both aged 25 and from Birmingham, pleaded guilty after becoming the first ever inmates to be charged with making an unauthorised sound recording in prison.
Father-of-six Shepherd, formerly of Hampstead Rd, Handsworth, was charged with breaching the 1952 Prison Act in September while serving a five-year sentence for dangerous driving and involvement in a prison van break-out plot.
Thomas, previously of Vernolds Croft, Highgate, was serving a seven-year term for aggravated burglary.
The men admitted making the illegal recording between August 1 and 16 this year.
At Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Patrick Thomas was asked by Peter Grice, defending, if he would like to watch the video before passing sentence.
Opting not to view the clip, Judge Thomas replied: “It’s unlikely to appeal to me and unless it informs me (in passing sentence) I am not going to take up valuable court time.”
The court heard that a third unknown inmate had recorded the musical video, which contained nothing which could be considered grossly offensive.
Judge Thomas told the amateur rappers that illegal possession of mobile phones could be “highly disruptive” and have serious consequences for prison security.
Research into penguins has plunged to new depths with the release of images which provide a glimpse of life beneath the Antarctic ice.
Miniature cameras were attached to the backs of Adelie penguins by scientists from the French and Japanese national Antarctic programmes before they went out to sea in search of food.
The cameras weighed between 15g and 22g and were recovered when the birds returned to their nests.
Rod Downie, polar programme manager for WWF-UK, said the high level of interest in last year’s John Lewis Christmas advert, featuring Monty the penguin, helped support the research.
An Oklahoma suspect accused of robbing another man at knifepoint has been arrested after the victim described his attacker’s distinctive facial tattoos, including a pair of horns and an anti-police obscenity.
Tulsa police officer Leland Ashley said 27-year-old Paul Wayne Terry was arrested on a complaint of robbery with a dangerous weapon.
The victim told police that Terry and a woman knocked on his apartment door, forced their way in, and that Terry threatened to stab him if he didn’t turn over his wallet. He told police that Terry had horns tattooed on his forehead.
Ashley said Terry was arrested the next day: “He wasn’t hard to identify.”
Rescue dogs spending Christmas in kennels have received presents from over 8,000km away following a plea by a council.
Sedgemoor District Council began running its annual Santa Paws shoebox and gift appeal for stray and homeless dogs in Somerset in early November.
Since then, hundreds of gifts have been left at pet shops and council offices around the county — with parcels also arriving by post.
Most parcels came from Somerset, with some from other locations in the UK — but one was sent from Arizona in the US, more than 8,000km away.
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