Rapper Dizzee Rascal has been found guilty of assaulting his ex-fiancée a residential property in London last year.
The artist, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was found guilty today, March 7, in the trial that began last month at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court.
He was previously arrested for allegedly assaulting his ex-fiancée, Cassandra Jones, in Streatham, south London on June 8, when he was accused of 'pushing his head' against the complainant’s head and 'pushing her to the ground'.
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According to the Metropolitan Police, officers attended the scene and a woman reported minor injuries. Mills was arrested and gave a prepared statement during a police interview in which he denied the allegations, before formally pleading not guilty in September.
At the time, Mills' lawyer, Iskander Fernandez, said his client 'denies pushing his head into the complainant's head and denies pushing her to the floor'.
During the trial, the court heard that Mills 'barged' his way into the property after dropping off one of the two children he shares with Jones. The rapper is said to have been 'screaming and shouting', and allegedly banged his head on the fridge three times.
He was then said to have approached Jones, 'put his forehead against hers and pushed her around the room' before pushing her 'to the ground'. After he was arrested at the scene, Mills accused Jones of causing injuries to his arm.
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The trial included a character statement from champion boxer David Haye, who had described Mills as a 'stand-up and down-to-earth kind of man'.
As cited by Sky News, he continued: 'Dylan is a very easy individual to get along with. He remained humble, having built himself up from nothing. He would rarely be seen out at celebrity social functions for the simple reason that he prefers to stay at home and spend time with his family.'
Meanwhile, Mills' ex-girlfriend, Tanya Chehrehnegary, said she was 'shocked' to hear the allegations about Mills.
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She said: 'There have been many situations where your average person would get quite defensive but he's always dealt with things in a very calm and collected manner. Whenever we argued he would always remove himself from the situation and always end it on a funny note where I would end up laughing about something and that would be the end of it.'
Mills and Jones split up in February 2021 following a nine-year relationship. The rapper is known for hit songs including Bonkers and Dance Wiv Me.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247.
Emily Brown