Grime rapper Skepta cleared of drug-driving cost over ‘uncertainty of proof’ that he examined optimistic for hashish
British grime artist Skepta has been cleared of drug-driving due to ‘uncertainty of evidence’ that he tested positive for cannabis near his house in the Home Counties.
Joseph Adenuga, 43, known as Skepta, appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates Court on Thursday where he faced trial over an allegation he had driven his Mercedes-Maybach with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in his system on May 14 last year in High Wycombe.
After an expert said in court that she could not be sure that samples taken from him had THC in them, District Judge Arvind Sharma decided to terminate proceedings and found Adenuga not guilty of the offence.
He said that the Crown Prosecution Service is required to provide evidence to the criminal standard of the quantity of THC in the sample.
Referring to the evidence, he said he could not take the matter further as the expert could not be sure that the “reading is accurate”.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, is a substance found in the cannabis plant.
The rapper was also accused of travelling at 37mph in a 30mph zone in his Rolls-Royce Phantom on November 20 2023, and failing to supply information to Thames Valley Police relating to the driver of the vehicle.
During the court hearing on Thursday, the judge dismissed both of these matters after the prosecutor Lucy Curran said the crown will be offering no further evidence.
Skepta with his Brit Award after winning Best Dance Act at the ceremony this year
Outlining the details of the case earlier, prosecutor Lucy Curran said Adenuga was stopped by PC Talan O’Neill after the officer observed him driving ‘recklessly’ along London Road on May 14, 2024.
Giving evidence, the Thames Valley Police officer told the court he saw Adenuga overtaking a vehicle on the outside lane.
He added that ‘the pace’ at which Adenuga was driving when overtaking was in excess of the 30mph speed limit on the road, the court heard.
PC O’Neill told the court that, after pulling Adenuga over, he noticed there was a ‘smell of cannabis in the vehicle’, and conducted a roadside drug test at 10.54am.
Ms Curran said: ‘He was arrested when that sample came back with a positive result for the THC component in cannabis and then taken back to the police station.’
The court heard Adenuga was compliant throughout this process.
He was driving a Mercedes-Maybach at the time of his arrest, according to the charge.
Since bursting on the scene with his debut album in 2007, the grime star has gone on to win the prestigious Mercury Prize and conquered the worlds of music, fashion, modelling and film.
He recently admitted that despite his global success, millions of fans and award wins, he ‘hates being famous’.
The rapper, seen here performing at Glastonbury in 2025, has been charged with drug driving
In an interview with Dazed, the rapper has confessed to disliking the trappings of stardom and dreams ‘of going back to my normal life’.
He said: ‘I don’t care about fame. Really. I care about art. I care about making the best song. I care about people selecting my poetry as theirs. I hate being famous.
‘I just feel like, whatever fame has brought me is what I’ve always had already, you know what I mean? The eyes, the judgment – I’ve always had that. In the early days it helped to toughen me up and prepare me for now. But I don’t need it any more.’
Skepta is not the only famous face in his family, with his rapper brother JME, real name Jamie Adenuga, also in the Boy Better Know collective, while their sister, Julie Adenuga, is a broadcaster and radio host.
