- Zoey McGill believes her son’s killer Calum Maddison is the Tiktok video rapper
- Jack Woodley was attacked by ten youths at a fun fair in Houghton-le-Spring
A killer has starred in a gangster rap video from behind bars, the grieving mother of his victim has claimed.
Zoey McGill believes Calum Maddison, who was 15 when he knifed her son Jack Woodley in the back, is the rapper in a short film uploaded to TikTok.
Mobile phones are strictly prohibited in young offenders’ institutions and she thinks Maddison, who is serving life for murder, recorded and shared it on the social media platform using a contraband device.
Ms McGill, 37, from Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, said: ‘He is rapping about being big and hard and how he is a gangster.
‘He stabbed a boy to death. This is serious. He thinks what he has done is so cool.
‘It is beyond words. I find it absolutely sickening.
‘I want to know how on earth this could be allowed to happen?’
Jack died the day after he was savagely attacked by a gang of ten youths in October 2021 as he left the fun fair at the Houghton Feast.
Maddison and nine others appealed against their convictions claiming they did not get a fair trial but their bid was thrown out by senior judges in September.
The nine attackers, aged between 15 and 18, were sentenced to minimum terms of between eight and 15 years’ detention.
Sentencing, Judge Rodney Jameson said the group had attacked Mr Woodley ‘solely for the excitement and pleasure of inflicting serious injury on an entirely innocent and randomly selected stranger’.
Mrs McGill said her 16-year-old son found the self-pitying drill rap-style video which glorifies the ‘gangster’ image over the Christmas period.
The rapper in the video has 35 followers and the film has been viewed over 1,200 times.
Mrs McGill said: ‘I recognise him because I sat in court for ten weeks with him. I am 100 per cent sure it is him.
‘There are people commenting on it with names like ‘Chop It’ and ‘Zombio’.
‘These kids think it is cool and they wonder why they get involved in knife crime.’
Maddison, who moved to the region from London around six weeks before Jack’s murder, initially denied taking part in the brutal gang attack but later admitted lying to detectives.
The trial at Newcastle Crown Court heard he returned home to get the eight-inch Rambo-style survival knife to take to the fun fair, knowing his friends were looking for trouble.
Jack was stabbed by Maddison after a prolonged ordeal in which he was punched, kicked and stamped on as he lay defenceless in an alley near the Britannia Inn in Houghton-le-Spring.
The teenager was survived by his father, John Woodley, his mother and stepfather Chris McGill and siblings Jayden, Jenson and Tyler.
He told the court he had not intended to hurt Jack but jurors saw through his lies after hearing how considerable force was needed to inflict the fatal 7cm deep wound.
Jack had secured a forklift truck license and was due to start a job with Amazon days after he died. His mother said the 18-year-old had received the keys for his new accommodation on the day he was killed.
The identity of the masked rapper has not been confirmed but the young man does appear to have the same features – such as the ears and hair – as Maddison in the mugshot released by police.
The username for the TikTok account – ycizzzle – is the same as an Instagram account and his name on both social media platforms is C, which is thought to stand for Calum.
The second account also has a profile picture believed to be Maddison. The rapper refers to being 15 – Maddison’s age when Jack was killed – and also appears to reference the 17-year minimum term he must serve before he is eligible for parole.
The rapper boasts he can handle the prison term because he is a ‘G’, a street slang term for ‘gangster’.
He says: ’17 years I still take it like a f***ing G.’ The rapper also bemoans losing his court case and life inside while boasting about having mobile phone.
He says: ‘I lost my appeal, I’m stressed.
‘Screws on patrol now so I’m chatting on the text.’
Mrs McGill is now calling for an investigation within the Prison Service to establish whether Maddison – who is believed to be held at Wetherby YOI – was able to getaccess to a mobile phone and the internet from his cell.
She added: ‘How on earth can a murderer be in jail getting followers on TikTok.
‘He was one of ten lads who brutally murdered my son and he is saying ‘free the boys’.
‘Free the boys? You are a murdering scumbag.
‘He is in jail. He should not have luxuries. He should be put before a court. He is making a mockery of the system.
‘He should have more time put on his sentence.’
Ms McGill is being supported by Sedgefield MP Paul Howell who has raised concernsabout the video with ministers.
He said: ‘It sounds appalling, and I want to see what can be done to control this.
‘It feels completely wrong and we will be finding out what we can do about it.
‘I cannot understand what he is on in this video about but if he is broadcasting himself from a prison cell it is completely out of order.’
He added: ‘Knife crime is devastating on so many levels.’
Mr Howell said he has reported the TikTok video to the relevant authorities so further inquiries can be made.
The Prison Service said it works with companies such as TikTok to get content removed and all incidences of social media misuse are investigated by the Digital Media Investigation Unit.
A spokesperson said: ‘We work with social media companies to remove videos and our £100m investment in airport-style security has helped us uncover more than 28,000 attempts to smuggle contraband – including phones – behind bars.
‘We do not tolerate mobile phones in prison and those found with them face extra time behind bars.’
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
