Pictured: Aarron McKoy (top), who died on New Year's Day, and Dean Smith, known as 'Bungz'.

Published: 10 December, 2012
By ALICE HUTTON

A RAPPER was convicted of murder at the Old Bailey today after an eleven week trial into the fatal shooting of a young man in Holborn on New Year's Day.

The jury unanimously found Dean Smith, 26, guilty of gunning down Aarron McKoy in the street near Hatton Wall nightclub, Clerkenwell House, in the early hours of January 1.

Smith's five co-defendants, who had also been charged with murder under the legal doctrine of 'joint enterprise', were all acquitted.

Aarron McKoy died after a night out celebrating his 22^nd birthday at the Holborn nightclub with his twin brother, Lee. It had been emptied following a stabbing inside.

The prosecution previously claimed that Mr McKoy, from Hackney, was in a rival gang to Smith, a rapper known by his street name 'Bungle' or 'Bungz' after a character in the children's TV show Rainbow.

He was found guilty of chasing Mr McKoy away from the club before shooting him dead.

The other defendants were Jack Nichols, 21, of Wickford, Essex, Ceon Hewitt, 22, of Wickford, Essex, Osman Mohammed, 23, of Hackney, Daniel Oyetoro, 27, of Romford, and Perry Denis, 22, of Newington Green.

Smith, of Stoke Newington, will be sentenced on Monday.