A budding rapper posed for a photo at a family meal just hours before he was escorted to the cells in tears. “They can lock the locks but they can’t stop the clocks,” read the caption on the Instagram image. The next morning, Finley Hayes was sent to prison.
Family members shouted from the public gallery at Manchester Crown Court as the 23 year old – who performs under the stage name EFFMCR – was led away from the dock.
“Love you Fin,” one voice called out. “Love you bro,” another yelled, followed by a heartfelt ‘love you son’. Loud thumping sounds echoed as the gallery cleared out.
Just moments earlier, a judge had berated Hayes for being an ‘immature young man’. He criticised his ‘posturing’ in his music videos as ‘stupid’ and dismissed the ‘pretence of involvement or admiration of gang culture’ as an ‘illusion’, reports the Manchester Evening News.
This came after Hayes was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving following a horrific crash that took his friend’s life. He was riding a stolen black Honda 600cc motorcycle in Wythenshawe with Kyle Maher, 20, on July 29, 2023.
He recklessly sped through a red light at the junction of Hollyhedge Road and Brownley Road, before colliding with a Ford Focus as it turned right onto Brownley Road.
Mr Maher, the pillion passenger, was thrown from the bike and sustained severe injuries. Tragically, he later passed away. Hayes discarded his helmet before fleeing the scene.
He dishonestly claimed he was the passenger and that Mr Maher was behind the wheel. When tests revealed he was twice over the drug driving limit for cannabis, he alleged a mate had given him a joint.
After a trial, Hayes was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving; causing death by driving while uninsured and unlicensed; aggravated vehicle taking; and aggravated vehicle taking involving a fatal accident.
‘Foolish bravado’
The sentencing hearing was presented with photographs and video footage from Hayes’ Instagram profile, effmcr247. He frequently uploads music videos to his YouTube channel, performing rap while donning a bucket hat and face covering.
In one song, titled OffTheCurbside, he raps: “Take time take time, biggest blessing is your freedom. Half my guys are locked, so I’m steady screaming freedom.”
The court viewed clips and stories depicting Hayes wearing balaclavas; making apparent firearm gestures; pulling a wheelie on a motorcycle; and using cannabis. In one post, he wrote: “Who needs brakes.”
The text on an Instagram story uploaded hours before his imprisonment stated: “EFF is offline for a bit [lock emoji]. The Motion don’t stop [sic] New music dropping soon – You can’t cage the motion [fire emoji]”.
Sentencing Hayes on Tuesday (May 19), the Recorder of Manchester Judge Nicholas Dean KC declared: “These were tragic events. Kyle Maher was an innocent victim of your driving.
“What happened was an inevitable consequence of the driving that came before it. It was prolonged, persistent and a deliberate course of driving. In other context, it may be called joyriding.
“The fact that you left the scene immediately after the collision is a clear indication both of your immaturity and that you knew perfectly well of your responsibility for what happened.”
The judge continued: “It is not unusual to see this stupid posturing or pretence of involvement or admiration of gang culture, except for the illusion of an immature young man, which he is still.”
‘Nana, I’m scared… please don’t let me die’
Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw previously delivered victim impact statements on behalf of Mr Maher’s family. Sister Demi-Lee described her brother as vulnerable. She expressed feelings of ‘regret’ and ‘resentment’ towards Hayes.
Mr Maher’s mother Michelle revealed her son had been diagnosed with ADHD and autism. She described him as having a ‘great sense of humour’. “His so called friends knew how vulnerable he was and had been told not to allow him on the back of the bikes they were using,” she stated in her testimony, delivered by Mr Blackshaw.
He continued, summarising Ms Maher’s words: “He had his own bike that he used lawfully. She talks about the void in her home and said he made them feel safe. She said she is struggling to accept his loss.”
Mr Maher’s grandmother Rita Marley revealed his final words to her were: “Nana, I’m scared… please don’t let me die.” She confessed that would ‘haunt her for the rest of her days’. Mr Blackshaw said that in the run up to the crash, Hayes was spotted driving at excessive speeds and overtaking another car at a previous red light. The court heard the bike was stolen from outside a hotel on June 3.
Nicholas Clarke, representing Hayes, said: “We do not forget, and the defendant does not forget, the tragedy befalling the victim and the victim’s family. It is also a tragedy for several members of Mr Hayes family who do not wish to associate with him.”
He said Mr Hayes had lost a close friend, which added to the trauma he experienced as a child following his father’s death. Mr Clarke said he ‘accreted himself into an association with gangs’ as a consequence of the trauma.
He added that Mr Hayes, who wept throughout the hearing, has since joined a group called Mandem Meetup, a men’s mental health charity, to ‘overcome his immaturity’.
Mr Clarke added: “He wishes me to emphasis how sorry he feels, particularly to the family of his friend who died nearly three years ago.”
Hayes, of Wendover Road, Wythenshawe, was jailed for 10 years. He was banned from driving for 11 years and eight months.