No lifeline for Jah Cure
Prosecutors in the Netherlands have filed an appeal to overturn the acquittal of Jah Cure on an attempted murder charge on Tuesday.
The reggae singer, in March, was sentenced by a Netherlands court to serve six years in prison on a charge of attempted manslaughter. The charge of attempted murder was dismissed. Prosecutors at the hearing had also requested Jah Cure’s criminal records from Jamaica.
Tuscha Essed, press officer of the Public Prosecution Office of Appeals in the Netherlands’ Court of Appeal, confirmed the development.
“It will most likely be a matter of months before the case is on trial again. Our office (of appeals) awaits the formal letter of appeal (which is handed in at court) and the case files, then the case will be processed and a new prosecutor will be appointed to the case,” Essed told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.
At the time of his sentencing, the entertainer’s attorney Jan-Hein Kuijpers told the Observer in the absence of an appeal, Jah Cure would have to serve four years before being released and the time spent in prison would have been deducted.
Essed said she was unsure whether the entertainer’s lawyer had also filed an appeal.
“I can’t say if the suspect’s lawyer has filed for appeal as well, I don’t have that information at this point,” she said.
In the Court of Appeal, three senior judges will hear the entire case again. At this higher level, the trial procedure is virtually identical to that in the lower courts.
The embattled singer has been in custody since October 1, 2021 for allegedly stabbing and injuring show promoter Nicardo “Papa” Blake in his abdomen at Dam Square in Amsterdam. Blake, the principal of Roots Vibes, which stages reggae shows in the Netherlands, was reportedly hospitalised.
Jah Cure had performed on a gig organised by Blake.
Throughout the years, Jah Cure has had several brushes with the law. He was convicted of rape and illegal possession of a firearm in April 1999 and served eight of a 15-year sentence in prison. He was released in July 2007.
The singer has also had several incidents with promoters in The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago; however, those were resolved without court action.
Jah Cure, given name Siccature Alcock, has had consistent chart success. His hit songs include Prison Walls, Only You, Love Is, Unconditional Love, and All of Me. He has collaborated with such artistes as Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, Torey Lanez, and Mya.
His 2015 album, The Cure, was nominated for a Best Reggae Album Grammy Award the following year.