Moment gang thug plunges blade into motorbiker’s heart as he rides beside Lamborghini for drill rap music video… in bloodbath seen by his girlfriend
- Scaffolder Shane Jerome was just 23 when he was knifed to death in Brixton
- He was taking part in filming of drill rap video on the streets of south London
- The murder, committed by thug Brandon McNeil, features in BBC series The Met
Cruising through the streets of Brixton in a convoy of two Lamborghinis, a young drill rap star and his crew had no idea the music video they were shooting would become so notorious.
Teenage gang member Brandon McNeil had been tracking the group through the busy streets and in the flash of an eye, he leapt from a Santander bike and changed dozens of lives forever.
Footage shown on BBC documentary series The Met shows the moment he sinks a machete into the heart of 23-year-old Shane Jerome, who was riding a motorbike in the convoy, before fleeing the scene.
As the young scaffolder’s girlfriend watched from a quad bike behind him, her confusion quickly turned to horror.
McNeil, who was 18 at the time, attacked when the group while they stalled at red traffic lights outside of Brixton Tube station in south London in 2021.
Shane had been riding a Yamaha NT7 motorbike for the filming of a music video for drill rap artist Chariffe Greaves, who goes by stage name Reefy.
His girlfriend, Seleka Gathercole, was riding a quad bike behind him. When the attack happened, she described hearing ‘screams’ as everyone ran away.
But – speaking on The Met – she said it wasn’t until she looked back she realised the man she planned on marrying hadn’t run with them.
Scaffolder Shane Jerome with girlfriend Seleka Gathercole. He was just 23 when he was knifed to death on the streets of Brixton during the filming of a drill rap music video
Shane had been riding a Yamaha NT7 motorbike for the filming of a music video for rap artist Chariffe Greaves, who goes by stage name Reefy
CCTV from the bus next to the group shows the moment McNeil lunges at Shane
Brandon McNeil was holding a machete-type knife as he approached the convoy
Pictured: Brandon McNeil on CCTV dressed in a tracksuit with a PPE mask
CCTV shows McNeil walking towards the group – hidden by the bus – after he jumped off his rental bike, before the yellow Lamborghini speeds away as chaos ensues in Brixton
Shane’s girlfriend. Seleka Gathercole, witnessed the attack. Credit: BBC/The Met
Police managed to identify McNeil thorough a hand print he left on a yellow Lamborghini
Police managed to identify McNeil thorough a hand print he left on a yellow Lamborghini and when they arrested him, they found a Samurai sword, hunting knives and a machete which looked similar to the one used to stab Shane.
Investigators compared a mugshot they had on file with dashcam footage from the double-decker bus which showed the attack carried out by McNeil, dressed in a dark grey hoodie, tracksuit trousers and a PPE mask.
They visited a flat in Kennington they had on file and arrested him. When questioned by police in custody, all he said in response was a sullen ‘no comment’.
Investigators said in a documentary on the case that it seemed he had carried out the ‘extreme violence for no reason at all’.
McNeil admitted murder, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon.
He made rap videos bragging about his life of crime and boasted of his skill with knives in a film made a week after the murder, a court heard at the time.
Ms Gathercole posted on Facebook to pay tribute to her boyfriend, saying: ‘My baby. My heart’s completely torn in two.
‘I will never ever ever get over the loss of you, you mean more to me than I could ever explain, I’m struggling to even cope.’
Ms Gathercole spoke about the traumatising experience on BBC’s The Met
Pictures of the happy couple before the attack were displayed on a BBC documentary
READ MORE – The Met review: We were promised a dissection of the Metropolitan Police, but this was routine – writes CHRISTOPHER STEVENS
Speaking on the BBC series The Met, she described the moment the tragic incident happened: ‘All I saw was a big knife coming towards me. I ran and I see Shane’s blood all over the floor. Why did they get Shane? He didn’t do anything.’
‘No one saw it coming. Shane was beside the Lamborghini. The traffic lights went red and it just happened. I heard screams and my initial thought was ‘why is everyone running?’ I was so confused.
‘I looked back and I saw the knife with blood and realised Shane didn’t run the same way as us.
‘I could just hear his breath shallowing, and I said ‘please don’t go, I need you here’.
‘The paramedics tried to bring him back but I remember the sergeant taking my hand and saying ‘I’m so sorry’.
‘Shane has never been involved with gangs. He’s level headed. He had his whole life ahead of him.’
At McNeil’s sentencing hearing last year where he was given a life sentence with a minimum of 24 years in jail, his girlfriend told McNeil: ‘I hope you never forget the fact that you looked me in the eyes.
Rapper ‘Reefy’ Chariffe Greaves pays tribute to Shane Jerome at the start of his Briston Market music video, which was filmed on the day the young scaffolder was brutally murdered
The red and yellow Lamborghinis are seen in the Brixton Market music video with rapper ‘Reefy’ Chariffe Greaves front and centre in the baseball cap.
Drill star ‘Reefy’ Chariffe Greaves raps with pal in his music video filming on the fateful day that Shane Jerome was stabbed to death in an horrific machete attack in broad daylight
‘I met him when I was 14. When I met him I instantly knew I was going to marry this man.’
Judge Sarah Munro, QC told McNeil; ‘Shane Jerome was adored by his family, by his long-standing girlfriend and by his friends, many of whom are here today to pay their respects to him and to see you punished for snuffing out his life.
‘He had no convictions and unlike you there is not a shred of evidence that he was involved in any criminal or gang activity.
‘Loved ones are here today and their grief is tangible in this court.’
The judge referred to the courage of Shane’s girlfriend, Seleka Gathercole, who spoke in court about what she had gone through.
But Brandon McNeil, who was 18 at the time, had been tracking the crew and jumped off his Santander bike at the lights, lunging at Shane and stabbing him. Credit: BBC/The Met
Paramedics arrived on site and desperately tried to save Shane. Credit: BBC/The Met
McNeil is filmed on CCTV running away from the scene of the attack
‘She had to undergo the indescribable horror of seeing you kill the love of her life right before her eyes. She was right there.
READ MORE – Teenager who knifed biker to death in front of his girlfriend during Brixton Lamborghini music shoot is jailed for at least 24 years
‘They planned to marry and were planning very shortly to start a family.
‘That is but a snapshot of the young man you killed and of the impact of what you did upon those who knew and loved him.’
Turning to McNeil’s actions, Judge Munro continued: ‘You on the other hand are embroiled in the gang culture which is endemic in parts of this city.
‘You stabbed him in the heart. You were on the attack and acting in full and free will.’
Videos were played in court which police found on McNeil’s phone, featuring him showing off his skill with a series of knives.
The court heard McNeil was ‘obsessed’ with the knives and and thought his friends would be pleased with what he had done.
The prosecutor the court several knives owned by McNeil encased in boxes, to the court, some of which he described as ‘samurai like’ with ‘jagged serrated edges’.
In March this year, McNeil had his sentence reduced to 20 years and 247 days after a Court of Appeal hearing.
Source: Read Full Article