Clapham Common stabbing: Man killed amid 'drill rap' gang rivalry
A man was stabbed to death through his car window amid a "bitter" gang rivalry played out in drill rap videos, the Old Bailey has heard.
Gavin Garraway, 40, who was not part of any gang, was attacked in front of members of the public near Clapham Common station on 29 March last year. He died at the scene an hour later. Mr Garraway was allegedly pursued by Zion Chiata, who spotted him driving through Clapham with his brother, who was linked to a rival gang. The vehicle, a VW Golf, crashed into a traffic light post and came to a halt, leaving Mr Garraway a "sitting duck", the court was told. Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC said: "CCTV footage shows Mr Chiata, unsheathing a large knife tucked into his waistband, and lunging three times at Gavin Garraway through the open window. "The same footage also shows a male called Tishaun Panton using a crutch to strike the car and thrust it through the window at Gavin Garraway. "This brazen attack was carried out in full view of numerous pedestrians and motorists, who were going about their daily business on the streets of Clapham." After less than 10 seconds, the attackers ran off, leaving Mr Garraway with three stab wounds, allegedly at the hands of Mr Chiata. Mr Rees said the "outbreak of violence" was due to "bitter" feud between two neighbouring Lambeth gangs: the Claptown gang ('CT'), based around Clapham High Road, and the '67' gang, based around Brixton Hill. The rivalry had been partly documented in drill music videos posted on YouTube, jurors were told.The court heard Mr Garraway's younger brother, Melique Garraway, 23, was a well known drill artist with the 67 gang. Mr Chiata, 20, from Lambeth, was associated with the rival Claptown gang and had appeared in one of its videos. Jurors were told Panton was not a defendant in the trial because he was convicted of the manslaughter of Mr Garraway at the end of 2019. Mr Chiata accepts that he stabbed Mr Garraway to death but denies murder on the basis of "loss of control". The trial continues.