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Meek Mill: Imprisoned rapper to get new trial over probation violations

Judge Genece Brinkley denied the request for his immediate release

Ilana Kaplan
New York
Monday 16 April 2018 18:00 BST
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Meek Mill. Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Meek Mill. Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images (Credit: Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Incarcerated rapper Meek Mill will now get a new trial after the request for his immediate release was denied.

According to the Associated Press, Philadelphia’s district attorney declared that Mill’s “convictions should be vacated and he should have a new trial”.

Ben Waxman – a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office – said a new trial would be given to Mill “due to questions of credibility of the arresting officer”.

However Judge Genece Brinkley made the decision not to let the rapper out of prison on bail during his status hearing on Monday.

The 30-year-old rapper’s lawyers said they planned to reach out to a “higher court” to have Mill released.

Mill’s sentence has been appealed several times, but hasn’t successfully been overturned.

Mill’s defence team has even asked Brinkley to recuse herself from the case

Since Brinkely’s ruling on Monday, Mill’s advocates have been protesting his imprisonment at the Criminal Justice Centre.

A dance party outside of the courthouse supporting Mill erupted outside the courthouse after ruling.

Mill’s grandmother, mother and son were also there to support the rapper.

In November 2017, Mill was sentenced by Brinkley to two to four years in state prison due to violating his probation on a decade-old gun charge.

The rapper has received support from fans and high-profile figures since his imprisonment last year including Rick Ross, Mayor Jim Kenney, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin.

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