The gun-carrying son of gangster Mark Duggan and a building society cashier who stole money from vulnerable customers to bankroll luxury holidays have both been released early from prison in separate cases.
Drill rapper Kemani Duggan, 25, was spotted at a house music rave little more than two years after being handed a five-year prison sentence for possessing a lethal Cold War-era pistol.
Footage recently shared on Reddit and TikTok, before later being taken down, appeared to show the rapper partying in a crowded venue while surrounded by young women.
In an unrelated case, former Nationwide cashier Kelly Kershaw, 54, who raided accounts held by pensioners and a man with learning difficulties, has been released on home curfew after serving only a quarter of the 16-month sentence she received in May.
The early releases of Duggan and Kershaw are not connected to the contentious move to release 5,000 prisoners in an effort to reduce overcrowding in jails under Labour’s Sentencing Act.
Even so, the decisions have triggered anger and renewed debate over early prison release rules.
One resident from Kershaw’s village in North Wales said the outcome sends the message that there is “no deterrent” for people considering crime.
Kershaw, who earned £1,400 a month as a building society cashier, regularly posted on Facebook about her expensive overseas breaks, including trips to Dubai, the Maldives and Indonesia.
The married mother-of-two posted pictures of skiing trips, safaris and romantic European getaways on social media where she bragged she was ‘living and loving life one adventure at a time.’
Kemani Duggan could be seen in recent video at party after release from prison sentence
She targeted customers including a man with learning disabilities, whose signature she forged, and elderly clients of the Nationwide in Caernarfon, North Wales.
Kershaw, who is understood to have returned to her home in Nefyn, North Wales, since being freed, stole at least £8,605 over 12 months and admitted five counts of fraud between December 2023 and October 2024.
One outraged local called her release a ‘terrible indictment of the system and no deterrent’.
Duggan, known as Bandokay, was jailed for five years at the Old Bailey in July 2024 after he admitted carrying a Cold War-era pistol and 22 rounds of ammunition.
But the 25-year-old, whose father’s shooting by armed police sparked the 2011 London riots, is now back on the streets after being released from jail.
He was jailed for five years on July 5, 2024, but was eligible for release due to having already spent almost six months in custody on remand following his arrest at Gatwick Airport that January.
Duggan admitted possessing a Zastava M57 Tokarev-type semi-automatic pistol and 22 cartridges with intent to cause fear of violence.
The Cold War-era weapon, first manufactured in Soviet-era Yugoslavia, has a deadly history on Britain’s streets.
Kershaw, who splashed out on luxury holidays, has been freed after a quarter of her sentence
A pistol of the same type was used in the murder of 22-year-old Sharmake Mohamud, who was shot eight times in a gangland attack in north London in September 2020.
It was also used in the notorious political assassination of Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali, shot in the face outside his newspaper’s offices in Knightsbridge in July 1987. He died from his injuries the following month.
Duggan initially faced the more serious allegation of possessing the gun and ammunition with intent to endanger life but admitted the lesser charges shortly before he was due to go on trial.
Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that Duggan was a well-known drill rapper and member of the Original Farm Boys, which has its roots on Tottenham’s Broadwater Farm estate.
Duggan was jailed for five years for possession of a Cold War-era Yugoslavian pistol
Nationwide cashier Kelly Kershaw plundered the accounts of vulnerable customers
The court heard his fame and associations had also made him a target for violence from others linked to street gangs.
At his sentencing, Duggan’s barrister spoke of him wanting to move on from the shadow of his father’s death and become a “proper father” to his own young son.
He was just 10 when his father Mark Duggan, 29, was shot dead in Tottenham on August 4, 2011 – sparking rioting across London and other English cities.
The disorder saw five people killed and thousands of businesses attacked, with resulting damage and disruption costing hundreds of millions of pounds.
An inquest jury later concluded that Mark Duggan had been lawfully killed after hearing evidence of his links to gang violence including 10 shootings and two murders.
His son went on to establish himself as one of the better-known figures in Britain’s drill scene – achieving success with tracks including Ambush and the 2019 mixtape Frontstreet, which reached the UK albums chart.
In an interview when he was 18, Duggan complained that police repeatedly stopped him because he was Mark Duggan’s son but described his burgeoning music career as an opportunity to ‘do something positive’.
The Old Bailey heard Duggan claimed he had been given the gun and ammunition for his own protection because his fame had made him a target.
Prosecutor Diana Wilson told the court Duggan was a well-known drill artist associated with OFB, which she described as a criminal gang.
She said: ‘As a result of his fame, he has become a target for violence from others associated with urban street gangs.’
The court also heard Duggan had been described as a ‘senior gang member’.
Judge Philip Katz KC accepted Duggan had reason to fear being attacked, telling him: ‘It is accepted that there were grounds for a fear that people might try to attack you.’
He said Duggan’s profile arose not only from his drill career and its gang associations but also his ‘unfortunate life history’.
The Tokarev and 22 rounds of ammunition were discovered by police in November 2023 inside a JD Sports bag in the underground car park of a block of flats, alongside two foot-long knives. Duggan’s DNA was found on the pistol.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed Duggan had been freed under normal release arrangements.
Kershaw, sentenced by a judge at Caernarfon Crown Court, is understood to have been released very early under tagged curfew arrangements.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said of Kershaw: ‘These were heartless crimes and offenders on Home Detention Curfew are subject to strict conditions and must be tagged. If they break the rules, they will be sent back to prison.’
