A gun-wielding gangster jailed for 23 years has been awarded a “celebrity” blue tick by Instagram.
Rapper CB, real name Lekan Akinsoji, was given the social networking site honour, normally handed to A-list stars.
The 21-year-old, who has nearly 50,000 Instagram followers, appears to update his page from his prison cell.
His songs have been played more than one million times on Spotify, which could be netting the twisted thug up to £28,000.
A knife crime campaigner said: “It makes a mockery of justice.”
Jen Lock, of Lives Instead of Knives England, added: “He is being turned into a pop star in prison. What sort of deterrent is this to children? It’s glamorising prison.”
An Instagram spokesman said it works closely with police and prison bosses and will “review and remove accounts being used from prison when we receive a valid legal request from the appropriate authorities”.
He added that the blue tick proves “the authentic presence of the public figure, celebrity or global brand it represents”.
Akinsoji was jailed last year after he was caught hunting down gang rivals in a car packed with weapons.
A court heard he wore a clown mask and threatened police with a gun during a high-speed chase.
Akinsoji, who was in the Woodgrange gang in Newham, East London, was jailed along with three other men for possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to commit GBH.
He released sinister “drill” tracks boasting of “broad day knifings”. He raps: “I put Rambo blades in chests. I put flick knives straight in necks. With a wap I’ll aim for your head. If you see me you’re looking at death.”
Judge Mark Dennis QC said the defendants had made a “determined attempt” to cause “extreme violence”.
He said: “Drill music glorified gang violence and challenged rival gangs. The offending conduct was a reflection of such lyrics.”
Last week the Sunday People revealed another social media app, TikTok, is being used to fuel gang violence with video-game style scorecards of stabbings between rivals.
Online videos boast of horrific knifings and shootings carried out by gang members.
