Thurrock gang member jailed for making drill music video

Roland Douherty has been sentenced 

The leader of a drug dealing gang has been jailed for 19 weeks after he breached an injunction by making a drill music video with lyrics about using guns and carrying out violence against rivals.

Roland Douherty, 19, who heads up the C17 gang, can be heard in the music video, called ‘Bro Code’, rapping about “pulling the trigger twice on a gun”, dealing drugs and carrying weapons.

He is listed in the video under his nickname Valenti.

Chelmsford County Court heard how the video was posted online on Sunday, 30 June 2019, nine months after Douherty was made the subject of a tough gang injunction.

Essex Police has released a version of the music video, containing translated the lyrics.

C17 gang members were made subject to an injunction banning them from entering large parts of Thurrock, featuring in any audio or video online that is threatening, abusive, insulting, incites, violence, promotes criminal activity, shows weapons or makes reference to gang affiliations and C17, and congregating in a public place in a group of two or more where the group is behaving in a way likely to make a personal feel intimidated or afraid for their safety.

That order was made in September 2018 but Douherty defied it by filming the music video, which was released in June.

Douherty disputed that the video made reference to his drug dealing or use of guns  but a drill translation provided by an Essex Police expert showed he makes constant reference to using knives and guns and warning his enemies “not to cause problems it they can’t handle the come-back”.

Chelmsford County Court found Douherty, formally of Cardinal Road, Chafford Hundred, guilty of breaching his injunction.

Following the hearing Sgt Scott Fitzmaurice of Essex Police’s West Operation Raptor team said: “The C17 gang thought they could get away with selling drugs, preying on the young and vulnerable and committing violent crime in Thurrock – we proved them wrong and secured an injunction.

“Now the leader of the gang, Roland Douherty, clearly believes he can continue to be involved in gang-related violence and use drill music videos to continue and escalate the violent rivalry between C17 and other gangs – we proved him wrong.

“We are not prepared to allow Douherty, the C17 gang or any gang for that matter to promote hateful message that advocate and incite violence, the use of weapons and drug dealing.

“We will continue to target members of this gang who breach the injunction, arresting them and putting them before the court.”