So Solid member faces jail for gun hidden in handbag

A member of the notorious So Solid Crew music collective is facing a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty yesterday to possessing a revolver.

Ashley Walters, 19, known on stage as Asher D, admitted having the firearm concealed in a sock in his girlfriend's handbag when he was arrested after a confrontation with a traffic warden in central London in July last year.

The incident is the latest crime scandal to engulf So Solid Crew, a chart-topping UK garage collective that won the Best Video category at the recent Brit music awards.

Walters, who has two children and has had acting parts in Grange Hill and The Bill, was arrested by a police armed response team while driving his Peugeot car.

Stephen Holt, for the prosecution, told Southwark Crown Court in London that Walters had clashed with a traffic warden, Olufemi Onafeko, after a parking meter time limit expired. The warden was so concerned by the defendant's behaviour that he called police.

Simon Pentol, for the defence, said his client was of previous good character, and the case was adjourned to 25 March to allow pre-sentence reports to be prepared. But friends and family of the rapper broke down in tears after Judge Rivlin refused bail and said the offence was so serious that a substantial custodial sentence was inevitable.

The offence of possession of a firearm, in this case a converted Brocock air pistol, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment. Walters, who has a seven-month-old daughter and a two-year-old son, was a founding member of So Solid Crew, who are best known for the hit "21 Seconds" and have been repeatedly linked to violence. In May last year, one So Solid member was shot in the leg after a confrontation outside a nightclub.

In the summer, a man was stabbed 11 times after the group appeared at a club in the Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa. In November, two people were shot and wounded during a party at the Astoria Theatre in London to celebrate the birthday of So Solid singer Romeo.

In October last year, a crew member, Darren Weir, 22, was convicted of breaking the jaw of a 16-year-old fan after she rejected his advances.

¿ Doreen Waddell, 36, a singer with the group Soul II Soul, died after being hit by three cars yesterday as she tried to cross the A27 in Shoreham, Sussex, having been caught shoplifting at a Tesco store.