Dancehall star Jah Cure will continue serving his six-year sentence for attempted manslaughter in the Netherlands, a judge ruled today.

The singer appeared in court for a pro forma hearing. He is scheduled to return on January 24th, 2023.

“Today there was a pro forma. There’s no news at this point. The suspect stays in detention,” Tuscha Essed, press officer at the Public Prosecution Office to the Court of Appeals in the Netherlands, told OBSERVER ONLINE on Tuesday.

According to Dutch law, inmates have to attend a pro forma hearing while awaiting a court date for the actual trial, therefore a judge has to decide about the incarceration (whether to keep a suspect incarcerated or not) every 90 days.

In March 2022, Jah Cure, 43, whose real name is Siccature Alcock, was acquitted of an attempted murder charge but convicted of the lesser offence of attempted manslaughter.

The charge stems from a stabbing incident. Jah Cure reportedly stabbed a promoter over unpaid money in October 2021.

Following the sentence, Dutch prosecutors appealed to the court against the acquittal of the attempted murder charge. There is still no hearing date scheduled yet for a new trial, so Jah Cure could find himself with a longer prison sentence if prosecutors have their way. In the meantime, he is sitting in limbo.

Jah Cure is no stranger to the criminal justice system as he 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.

Jah Cure is known for the hit songs Longing For, Love Is (2005), and True Reflection (Prison Walls). His 2015 album, The Cure, which included the songs That Girl, Rasta, and Life We Live, earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Reggae Album that year.

– Claude Mills