
50 Cent's rapper pal Bang Em Smurf staying in UK asylum hotel paid for by YOU after fleeing gangs in his native Trinidad
A RAPPER pal of 50 Cent is staying in a taxpayer-funded hotel while claiming asylum.
Bang Em Smurf, real name Daniel Calliste, was jailed in the US following a shootout.
5
A pal of 50 Cent, Bang Em Smurf (AKA real name Daniel Calliste) is staying in a taxpayer-funded hotel while claiming asylum
5
50 Cent's In Da Club music video features Bang Em Smurf
Credit: Vevo
He is living in a Novotel near Stevenage, Herts.
Smurf is understood to have arrived here late last year claiming he needed 'safety from gangs' in his native Trinidad.
A source said: 'It's crazy he was let in after being deported from the US with a criminal record for violent offences.
'His history is well known. He is being supported by the taxpayer.'
For asylum accommodation, an applicant must tick a box to say they'd otherwise be destitute.
The 102-room, four-star Novotel, off the A1 near Knebworth House, is closed to the public while housing refugees.
Smurf was born in Trinidad but moved to the US and began his rap career at 15.
He was part of the original G-Unit rap outfit and said to be 50 Cent's head of security.
He is in the video for 2003 No 1 In Da Club but they later fell out.
In 2004 Smurf served 3½ years for gun possession after a New York shootout.
Fury as hotel firm housing asylum seekers in 'all-inclusive resort' paid £700m a year of YOUR money
50 Cent refused to pay his bail, leading to both releasing 'diss tracks'.
After his release Smurf was deported to Trinidad.
He told us he came to the UK as he had a deal with Universal to turn his 2018 memoir Wisdom of a Wolf: The G Behind the Unit into a film.
Instagram pictures show him in the UK from December and celebrating his 44th birthday on January 4 in Battersea, South London.
5
The rapper met Lord Michael Hastings at the Lords
Credit: Ian Whittaker
He appeared on podcasts and at a boxing event at Harrow Leisure Centre in February.
That month, he met Lord Michael Hastings at the Lords, saying his trip was linked to young people's mental health in Trinidad.
In March he launched clothing brand The Industry Fake.
The Sun understands his application for asylum has been refused and he will be returned to Trinidad.
The cost of housing those seeking refugee status has ballooned to £5.5million a day.
Around 38,000 are currently based in 210 hotels, but the Home Office is running an audit of the migrants to see if each is eligible for taxpayer-funded aid.
It declined to comment on individual cases.
Smurf told our reporter: 'There ain't no story. You're talking to the horse's mouth. I'm telling you, that's fake news.'
5
The 102-room, four-star Novotel, off the A1 near Knebworth House, is closed to the public while housing refugees
Credit: Ian Whittaker
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I'm a fragrance expert - book boyfriends would wear these scents'
Fragrence expert shares what book lovers' favourite male characters would smell like - some might surprise you My friends often tease me for having two very specific interests: books and perfumes. So when a conversation came up about what 'book boyfriends' smell like, I knew it was time to put my niche interests to the test. I know I'm not the only one who has flicked through pages of the latest BookTok trending novel and thought the guys smell pretty good, so I decided to track down what some of the biggest book boyfriends smell like. I even headed to my Instagram and asked everyone there for their favourite book boyfriends so I wouldn't miss any. So I've headed to my library and searched for just how our favourite book boyfriends smell and matched it up with fragrances so your real life boyfriend, or partner, can smell just like them. Now there are some missing here, with either there being no description in the books what he smells like or there not being anything on the market that I could find to fit the bill. He's not in the official list below but Shatter Me's Aaron Warner would probably wear a basic gardenia body spray because that's what he smells like during that first kiss. Rhysand - A Court of Thorns and Roses series Arguably he's BookTok's favourite boyfriend and for someone we've seen lovingly called a 'shadow daddy' online he seems to have a very fresh and light smell. In Chapter 48 of A Court of Mist and Fire, just before things heat up, is the line: "He tangled his legs with mine, and then a heavier, warmer darkness settled over us, smelling of citrus and the sea." From this it seems fair to assume that this is what Rhysand smells like and luckily there's a scent out there that seems like a dead ringer. Wood Sage and Sea Salt by Jo Malone London is a blend of sea salt, seaweed and grapefruit (while this isn't necessarily the first citrus fruit that springs to mind it is undeniably a citrus fruit). There is also a touch of wood there but in my opinion that's needed to round it out to a well balanced fragrance. Jo Malone London scents are expensive, a full sized bottle costs £118 but for those just wanting to trial it 9ml bottles exist for £18. Fortunately Jo Malone London also releases most of their scents in a candle and that means it's possible to have your house smell just like Rhysand while you're reading about him, although the candle is £56 for a 45 hour burn time. Xaden Riorson - Empyrean series Now if anyone could dethrone the Lord of the Night Court, it's the guy with the dragon. In Chapter 10 of Fourth Wing, towards the end, Violet and Xaden are facing off when he comes close enough for her to smell him. The key line reads: "His ominous tone is at odds with his gentle grasp, and sh*t, does he have to smell so good? Like mint and leather and something I can't quite identify, something that borders between citrus and floral." Now Violet can't identify it when it's right in front of her but I did my best to find something that fits the bill. I was surprised by which scent won overall. For me it's a choice between Eros by Versace (from £55) and Rabanne's 1 Million (from £66) - but 1 Million just edges Eros out for me. Both of them include citrus fruits, a slight floral and the necessary mint and leather but Eros notably has candy apple in there while 1 Million has cinnamon and 'spicy notes'. It feels safe to say Xaden leans more spicy. Miles Nowak - Funny Story Emily Henry is one of the biggest names in contemporary romance and for good reason. Her books are filled with men that are easy to fall in love with but our favourite has to be Miles. In Chapter 4, Miles Nowak is ushering a very tipsy Daphne home and explaining how he thinks fellow bartenders can smell that he's one of them. Notably the book reads: "Does it smell like gingersnaps?' The slur in my voice has worsened as we climbed the stairs. Miles stops outside our front door, laughter gurgling out of him. 'Gingersnaps?' That's what he smells like. Sweet and a little spicy. A natural earthy smell folded into a sugary baked good." While I love a smoky blend on men as much as the next girl, it's the sweet scent of sugary baked goods that hold my heart so I was thrilled with Miles taste in scents. Now there was an obvious choice for this, and Jo Malone London if you're reading this we are begging you to bring it back, the limited edition Ginger Biscuit would've been an outright winner. However it currently is out of stock everywhere online and I'm not sending anyone to fight for the few remaining bottles on eBay. Serge Lutens Five o'clock au Gingembre is supposed to smell like a slightly more complex take on Ginger Biscuit and is currently reduced on LookFantastic but even reduced is still £115.20 for a 50ml bottle. There is a more budget friendly option on the market, Ginger Babe from Aroma Concepts which is currently £24 on Amazon. There aren't many reviews on Amazon but on TikTok and fragrance forums there's a lot of buzz about it. Alex Claremont-Diaz - Red, White and Royal Blue Seeing him played by Taylor Zakhar Perez definitely hasn't hurt the internet's love of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States in the feelgood romance. The film has actually done us a solid, as it doesn't strictly say in the book what he smells like, but in the hospital scene of the film (about 15 minutes in) Prince Henry comments on Alex's signature scent: " Santal 33? Makes sense." The Le Labo scent is quite pricey, with the cheapest price we've found for it being £74 for a 15ml bottle, but we've got to agree with Prince Henry. It makes sense. Haymitch Abernathy - The Hunger Games series Now in the past I wouldn't have thought of Haymitch and a book boyfriend in the same sentence, but with the release of Sunrise on the Reaping and the upcoming film. We are all kind of loving him at the moment. I've not found any lines in the book that outright say what he smells like but it seems fair to assume he would smell like wood smoke and alcohol. Even before he took up drinking he worked with booze and I don't think I need to elaborate on smoke. Jazz Club from Maison Margiela seems like a solid match for him, even if it probably comes more naturally than spraying it on. It's a blend of rum, tobacco leaf and some spices that I could see him wearing and at £62 for a 30ml bottle it's one of the more affordable scents in this list. Now I think a better fit, with his humble beginnings and 'District 12 White Liquor', might be Vodka on the Rocks by Kilian. It's fresh with some spices, wood and notably oak moss in the composition. It is also £225 though, so I'll keep to picturing Jazz Club.


Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Liz Truss plugs whiskey in bizarre vid with bare-knuckle boxer who attacked OAP
In the bizarre new video, a grinning Liz Truss is seen alongside 36-year-old Dougie Joyce, who was jailed for leaving an elderly man with 'significant facial injuries' Liz Truss has been slammed for appearing in a video with a bare-knuckle boxer who served time in prison for a 'horrendous' attack on a 78-year-old man. The former Prime Minister is seen alongside convicted criminal Dougie Joyce in a bizarre new clip promoting the 36-year-old's spirit brand, Joyce's Irish Whiskey. Joyce walked free in November after being put behind bars for a 30-minute brawl in a bar in Manchester in October 2020, and was previously handed a 19-month sentence for attacking an elderly man in a pub. But in a video filmed at a recent launch event , short-lived Tory PM Truss is seen smiling and proudly holding up a bottle of the bare-knuckle fighter's whiskey to the camera in an apparent endorsement of his product. He is heard saying "Just remember, Dougie Joyce loves ya", before she adds: "Liz Truss loves you." Sources close to Liz Truss told The Sun that she had not been paid for her appearance at the event last month, which was hosted at National League club Scunthorpe United's stadium. Another described her appearance alongside Joyce as a "serious lapse", adding: "She's a former Prime Minister and has to be extremely careful who she associates herself with. You have to wonder if anyone did the due diligence." In a post last week on Instagram, Joyce described it as "great honour to have former Prime Minister Liz Truss as a special guest at my event", saying that the Tory ex-PM "took the time to speak about the future of business and the steps we can take moving forward." He added: "Having her there truly meant a lot and added a distinguished touch to the occasion." In October 2022, Joyce confronted a 78-year-old man in the back room of pub in Manchester city centre, shouting angrily before punching him three times, knocking him off his seat and causing severe bleeding. He then stood over the victim and urged another man to hit him, before delivering a powerful left punch that sent him crashing over furniture. Joyce then leant over the helpless victim and hit him another time while he lay on the ground. The elderly man was left with "significant facial injuries", in part because of the large gold ring Joyce was wearing. Speaking after he was sentenced to 20 months in prison back in November 2023, Greater Manchester Police's Detective Constable Natalie Hollows said: "Joyce is an aggressive and violent man who intended to intimidate and inflict pain on a vulnerable 78 year old man by carrying out this horrendous assault. "Joyce was wearing a large gold pyramid-style ring when he punched the man in the face, causing him significant injury due to the size and shape accelerated by force and the series of punches he endured. I'm glad Joyce will now face time behind bars as punishment for his actions and hope he takes this time to reflect on the impact of his actions." And last May, Joyce was handed a 13-month jail sentence while his brother Tom was given 22 months in prison for a brawl with the rival Doherty family in another Manchester pub. Dougie Joyce ended up being released in November, and has since vowed to clean up his act by throwing himself into charity work and his drinks business.

Leader Live
5 hours ago
- Leader Live
JoJo Siwa says Chris Hughes feels like family and her mother ‘adores' him
The two met in the ITV1 Celebrity Big Brother house, growing close during their time on the reality show, claiming their relationship was 'platonic'. Since leaving the house, they have been seen together and recently shared photographs of them together on Instagram, suggesting they are in a relationship. A post shared by JoJo Siwa (@itsjojosiwa) Siwa, 22, told Channel 4's Sunday Brunch: 'She (Siwa's mother) does love him. My parents think the absolute world of him and him and my dad are like best friends. 'Chris was actually telling me that yesterday they went to the spa together. They're literally best friends. 'Mum, she absolutely adores him. I love watching her watch us because I've never seen my mum so happy. 'It feels like we're a family. It feels like he's been in my family for however many years. It feels like they just all get along as well as I do. 'I think there will definitely be a lot more time spent here, and I think from him as well, a lot more time spent over there, but we both have families, you know, on either end.' The 22-year old singer is known for her songs Karma and Guilty Pleasure, which she released in 2024, while sports presenter Hughes, 32, appeared on the third season of the ITV reality TV series Love Island. Speaking about her decision to join Celebrity Big Brother, she said: 'I didn't even question a yes or no. I knew it wasn't even a question. It was an immediate yes. 'I think for me, growing up on reality TV, it almost feels like a little bit of home to me, and it just feels like it's just fun. 'And right before I went in, I told my mom, I was like, I think this is gonna be the best thing I've ever done. And she's like, what do you mean? And I was like, I don't know, something tells me, like for my personal, like for my life, it feels like it's gonna be the best thing I've ever done and by a landslide it has been. 'Being on Big Brother you're captured 24/7 so for people to just get to see the real me was something that I wasn't sure how to share, essentially on my own, I guess I wasn't brave enough to share it.' The Celebrity Big Brother final saw Coronation Street actor Jack P Shepherd crowned the winner. Siwa placed third on the ITV1 reality show while Hughes came sixth.