Sky News - UK -Tuesday August 17

Jamaican rapper Beenie Man could face criminal prosecution in Britain for lyrics which appear to incite violence against homosexuals. Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and lawyers are due to meet to discuss whether charges should be pressed against the star, according to a report in The Guardian.The Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald has taken personal responsibility for the case, the report said.

Gay rights groups have demanded action against Beenie Man, whose lyrics include an apparent call to hang lesbians and to kill homosexuals with a bazooka.

However a charge of inciting violence would be complicated both by the complex Jamaican patois used by Beenie Man, and the fact that some of the offending songs have never been released in Britain.

"An offence of incitement can be committed through a performance of written material or its distribution or broadcast. It doesn't just cover the writing itself," a CPS spokesman said.

Chief Superintendant Clive Driscoll of the Metropolitan Police, who is leading the investigation, described it as "difficult".

"I have no wish to stop someone's freedom of speech. But by the same token, I would not want offences to be missed," he said.

"We will be looking at whether there are grounds for prosecution and if the answer is yes, then who will be liable for prosecution.

"That's where the complications will come in."

Beenie Man, whose real name is Anthony Davis, is one of the biggest stars of Jamaica's dancehall music scene, a form of reggae becoming increasingly popular around the world.

His lyrics have caused problems before. In June, police called off a concert in London he was due to give, while last week Beenie Man was axed from a series of US shows by a sponsor.

Earlier this month Beenie Man issued a statement apologising for any "distress" caused by his lyrics, but gay rights groups rejected it as meaningless.