A mother and father have spoken out after news came out that their son’s killer mentioned the murder in songs released under a different name.
On December 16, the UK’s Ministry of Justice told PEOPLE magazine that they started an investigation because it was suggested that Jake Fahri, who was 19 at the time and sentenced to at least 14 years in prison in 2009 for killing Jimmy Mizen, 16, had made songs that talked about the murder, according to the BBC... Continue reading here ▶
The drill rap artist TEN, who hides his face with a ski mask, was identified as Fahri, now 35 years old, by the UK newspaper The Sun.
The BBC reported that Fahri was released on license in June 2023.
On January 17, a spokesperson for the UK’s Probation Service told PEOPLE, “Our thoughts are with Jimmy Mizen’s family who deserve better than to see their son’s murderer openly talking about his violent crime.”
They added, “All offenders released on license must follow strict rules. If they break these rules, we will send them back to prison.”
Fahri has now been taken back into custody because he broke his license conditions. The decision to release him again will be made by the Parole Board.
The Sun had previously said that TEN’s music was played on BBC 1Xtra radio and is also available on Spotify and YouTube. The BBC said that two of the rapper’s songs were played on 1Xtra’s Introducing show, but not the ones with possible murder references.
A BBC spokesperson told PEOPLE, “He is not on any BBC playlists. We have never played the lyrics that The Sun mentioned. He had two other songs played twice. 1Xtra will not play his music again. We did not know about his background and we do not support his actions.”
Margaret Mizen, Jimmy’s mother, said about the alleged music, “We’re shocked and can’t believe it. How can someone be allowed to play this kind of music? The words are terrible.”
She added, “I want answers.”
Margaret also said, “I think he’s a coward. Wearing a ski mask and not showing his face while playing his music shows he’s a coward.”
She continued, “I don’t want him to become famous just because he was in the news.”
Jimmy Mizen’s father, Barry, told Sky News that he and Margaret were “stunned into silence” when they heard about Fahri’s alleged music.
“We were upset and very worried for our family,” he added.
The lyrics by TEN include lines like, “See a man’s soul fly from his eyes and his breath gone … I wanted more, it made it less wrong. Seeing blood spilt same floor he was left on,” according to The Sun.
A spokesperson for the UK’s HM Prison and Probation Service told PEOPLE on December 16, “We are aware of this content and are investigating it as a priority. We take any material that could praise violence or upset victims very seriously.”
Mrs. Mizen, who started the Jimmy Mizen Foundation with her husband, told the BBC, “We have to choose what messages we want. Our children need messages of forgiveness, peace, and hope. They don’t need these terrible rap songs with horrible words.”
She added, “Our message will stay: forgiveness, peace, and hope. That’s what we teach young people in schools, and it will continue.”
A Spotify spokesperson confirmed that several of TEN’s songs are still on the platform, but none have the lyrics about the murder.
“The lyrics that have been talked about do not appear on any of his tracks on Spotify,” the spokesperson said. They also said that the songs were checked as part of their safety process.
They added that if the lyrics break their rules, the songs would be removed.
The Jimmy Mizen Foundation did not have any further comments when PEOPLE asked.
