Jah Cure’s lawyers file appeal
Reggae singer Jah Cure’s legal team has now filed an appeal to have his conviction on an attempted manslaughter charge overturned, the Netherlands Prosecution Service is confirming.
“There is no date yet scheduled for the hearing as the appeal case is still in a rather preliminary phase. However, both prosecution and defence have appealed the lower court’s verdict,” Tuscha Essed, press officer of the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service told the Jamaica Observer.
In March 2022, Jah Cure, 43, whose real name is Siccature Alcock, was convicted of attempted manslaughter in relation to the stabbing of a show promoter over unpaid money in October 2021. He was sentenced to six years in prison in the Netherlands. He was, however, acquitted of an attempted murder charge.
Following the singer’s sentencing, Dutch prosecutors appealed to the court against the acquittal of the attempted murder charge. The defence has now followed suit.
An appeal is lodged by submitting an application to the court of appeal. The time within which an appeal can be lodged is, in principle, three months, commencing the first day after the judgement date.
In the notice of appeal, the court of appeal is requested to (partially) reverse the judgement of the court by which that judgement was delivered. The lawyer of the appellant is not immediately under any obligation to explain why the judgement is being disputed. The lawyer is required to explain in a statement of appeal why the court’s judgement should be reversed in the summons proceedings. The respondent’s lawyer is then required to respond to that statement of appeal in a statement of reply.
On May 17, a pro forma court date to decide if the suspect should be kept in detention, (Dutch law dictates and is reviewed every 90 days) was held. The date was a short formal/procedural matter.
Jah Cure’s attorney Jan-Hein Kuijpers has not yet responded to a request for comment, from the Jamaica Observer.
Jah Cure is known for his 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.
