Stormzy, the British rapper, has been banned from driving for nine months after pleading guilty to using a phone while driving.

The 31-year-old rapper, whose real name is Michael Ebenazer Owuo Junior, was stopped by an off-duty police officer while driving a Rolls-Royce on Addison Road, West Kensington, London, in March last year.

During the stop, the officer reportedly knocked on Owuo’s tinted passenger window and told him to “get rid of your tints and get off your phone”.

Initially, Stormzy denied the claim but later wrote to the court to change his plea to guilty.

Andrew Sweet, the presiding judge, said Stormzy’s driving record was “not good” and described his action as “dangerous and irresponsible”.

The district judge then banned the rapper, who was not present in court, from driving for nine months and fined him £2,010.

Before Thursday’s hearing, the singer had six points on his licence.

In the UK, drivers can be disqualified if they build up 12 or more penalty points within three years.

In July 2024, Stormzy admitted to driving a Lamborghini Urus that had front windows illegally tinted to only 4% light transmission, violating the 70% requirement.

Prosecutor Alice Holloway said the vehicle’s use was dangerous and put “vulnerable road users at risk”.

Defending the rapper, Peter Csemiczky, his solicitor, said his client apologised and had removed the tints.

Adanma Luke, the producer of the movie in which late actor Junior Pope was supposed to be featured, has detailed her struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts following the tragic incident.

Pope died on April 10 in a boat accident on the River Niger in Asaba, Delta state. He was on his way to a movie location when the incident occurred.

The accident claimed the lives of four other crew members, leaving the film industry in shock.

In a lengthy Instagram post, the filmmaker described the period after Pope’s death as “very dark”. She revealed that she contemplated suicide due to the overwhelming backlash she received on social media.

The actress also shared that she had to stop breastfeeding her three-month-old baby due to the emotional toll of the situation.

Adanma expressed her gratitude to Uche Nancy, a movie producer who stood by her during the challenging time.

She praised Uche for her emotional support and unwavering encouragement which helped her navigate the difficult period.

“With so much tears in my eyes, after so much pressure and expenses in April I reached out to this beautiful soul @uchenancy and she said Ada, don’t worry I dey for you. Just let me know if there’s more to do and i won’t abandon you. She spoke as if she was me and gave me instances of why i should stay alive and strong,” she wrote.

“It lifted my soul even though I was contemplating suicide at that time and lost interest in whatever was happening and just needed to exit this world because it was indeed a very dark period for me. I had to stop breastfeeding in less than 3 months due so much sadness in my heart, depression, calls and hash words from families of the deceased and online fans.

“To be sincere I was online because my phone was the closest thing to me at that point. My mom took away my child so i don’t feed or breastfeed my child with sadness. I only come online to cry away my pains from the hurtful words being thrown at me and feel a little better from some good friends and fans who choose to love me regardless.

“Whatever I did or posted then was what my mindset was all about. Please help me say a kind prayer for this beautiful soul @uchenancy because she didn’t just help me with the huge financial support but also made sure I’m doing okay till now. I can’t end my 2024 without appreciating you my beautiful hardworking woman @uchenancy may God continue to bless you richly.”

Michael Adebayo, the Nigerian singer better known as Ruger, has testified about his encounter with God at his childhood church, Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) in Lagos.

The ‘Asiwaju’ hitmaker attended the church’s crossover service, a tradition he said he had missed for two years due to being outside the country.

The singer said because of his determination to be in church this year, he instructed his manager to cancel any scheduled shows that might conflict with the service.

Ruger, who was overcome with emotion, said he shed tears for the first time in four years after his encounter with God.

He also expressed his gratitude to God, the congregation, and the church authority for their spiritual guidance and support.

“Happy New Year to everybody. Today, I am so happy to be here. Today, my manager texted me and told me that I have one show tonight. And I told him to cancel it that I did not care,” he said.

“I have to be in church because in 2021, I was in church here. I missed the crossover service for 2022 and 2023 because I was outside the country. I told my manager to close all shows before the crossover service because I would not miss it. Whatever it is, we are not taking it,” he said.

“I thank God. I have not cried in like four years. Today, I saw God again, and I cried. I thank God for my life. I thank God for everybody here. I thank God for everybody who has nurtured me since I started in this church.

“This is a very caring church. Because, if this church is not great, great people would not come out of this church.”