We must take roots of knife crimewave far more seriously

It doesn't get more ridiculous or sinister than the BBC showcasing a criminal who boasts about murder.

- Esther Krakue Daily Express columnist

But that is precisely what happened when convicted murderer Jake Farhi had his drill music - some referencing his 2008 murder of schoolboy Jimmy Mizen - showcased on BBC Radio 1Xtra, apparently for "really standing out" as an artist. I'm sure he does.

One of his tracks included the vile lyric: "Stuck it on a man and watched him melt like Ben and Jerry's."

How many criminals, after serving 14 years of a life sentence for murder, decide to become rappers and boast about violence in music videos?

I can't think of too many. But that is indeed what Farhi did, no doubt to the horror of his victim's family - who have unsurprisingly described his lyrics as "absolutely horrendous".

Of course, the BBC glamorising drill rappers with horrifically violent lyrics doesn't help matters. But it's about time we addressed the root cause of rising youth violence.

Almost every day, we are seeing more and more young people falling prey to this scourge - and most of us are rightly outraged our politicians seem more interested in burnishing their woke credentials than tackling the issue.