UK rapper who escaped custody twice before deportation to Ghana re-arrested in France
A drill rapper who was due to be deported to Ghana after serving a prison sentence in the United Kingdom has been arrested in France following a dramatic double escape from police custody.
Daniel Boakye, 21, who performs under the name Dsavv, was detained on Monday evening in La Bouëxière in Brittany, north-western France, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Boakye had been serving a sentence at HMP Feltham for robbery and was awaiting removal to Ghana at the end of his custodial term. However, while under police supervision for medical treatment, he escaped twice within the space of a week.
He initially fled from West Middlesex University Hospital last month but was recaptured the following day. Days later, on 15 February, he was taken under guard to Lewisham Hospital in south-east London for further treatment, where he managed to escape again.
Investigators believe he was subsequently smuggled out of the United Kingdom in a lorry. His disappearance triggered a cross-border manhunt involving British and French authorities.
In the days after his second escape, Boakye appeared to taunt police in a video circulated online. The clip showed a performer rapping in front of a news report about the escape, declaring: "I just broke out of jail like Modie", a reference to a character in the Netflix series Top Boy.
His arrest followed a joint operation involving the Metropolitan Police, the National Crime Agency and French law enforcement partners.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed his detention in France and indicated that steps were being taken to return him to British custody.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Arrangements are now underway to return him to custody in the UK."
Boakye’s case has drawn attention both for the audacity of his escapes and for the immigration dimension, as he had been scheduled for deportation to Ghana upon completion of his sentence. Authorities have not disclosed when removal proceedings will resume, but his capture clears the way for the UK to proceed with both his return to prison and the pending deportation process.
