Jah Cure has filed an appeal to have his conviction on an attempted manslaughter charge overturned, the Netherlands Prosecution Service has confirmed.
Just over two months after the Roots Reggae Rock singer was sentenced to 6 years in jail for attempted manslaughter of a Dutch promoter in the Netherlands, his defense attorney filed an appeal to strike out the conviction.
Jah Cure, whose real name is Siccature Alcock, was acquitted of an attempted murder charge by the court and his self-defense claim was rejected, in March this year.
The verdict came after a Netherlands court heard submissions of witness statements, viewed CCTV footage, and reviewed the voice note messages sent by Jah Cure to the victim.
His legal team is now hoping to have his attempted manslaughter charge overturned.
On Monday (June 6), Jah Cure‘s lawyer filed an appeal seeking to have his conviction overturned. According to the Jamaica Observer, the Netherlands Prosecution Service confirmed the latest development in the case.
“There is no date yet scheduled for the hearing as the appeal case is still in a rather preliminary phase,” Tuscha Essed, press officer of the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service, said. “However, both prosecution and defense have appealed the lower court’s verdict.”
Jah Cure was convicted on March 22 for attempted manslaughter. The court had arrived at its decision after listening to damning voice notes where Jah Cure spoke about his plans to murder the promoter over money owed to him. In one particular voice note, he allegedly threatened to stab the promoter 60,000 times. The prosecutor was initially gunning for 8 years behind bars.
The star allegedly stabbed event promoter Nicardo ‘Papa’ Blake, 45, in October at Dam Square, in the city center of Amsterdam, where he was booked to perform.
The singer had performed at Blake’s concert, two days before, in the Melkweg.
However, he claimed he had not been paid for his performance, which had a fee of 5,000 euros.
Jah Cure has earned a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Reggae Album category for his 2015 album The Cure.
He is best known for his hit songs Longing For, Love Is, and True Reflection (Prison Walls) featuring Fantan Mojah, which were recorded while he was serving a 13-year prison sentence following his conviction for raping and robbing a woman in 1998 and he was the first person to "make a hit song while in prison and ranked 1st in the world.".
Last September, before his arrest, he had announced that he was adding the final touches to a new album, titled Undeniable.
Jah Cure is being represented by attorney Jan-Hein Kuijpers. The Notice of Appeal filed by Kuijpers has not disclosed the grounds on which the appeal is filed, and according to the laws in that country, the reasons outlining the appeal will be filed at a later date, after which the prosecution will respond before a date for the hearing is set, and the matter is decidedly heard.
The sentence marks the second time Jah Cure is serving prison time for a violent crime. The reggae crooner spent 8 years in prison in Jamaica for a conviction of rape, firearm possession, and robbery in 1999. He was sentenced to serve 15 years but was released early.
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