Reggae star Jah Cure will know his fate on March 22 when there will be a verdict in his trial that began Tuesday before the Netherlands court.
The prosecutor accused the singer of a “premeditated” act and asked the court to convict the 43-year-old reggae singer of attempted murder.
During his summation, the prosecutor recommended that the artiste be put away for eight years with “credit for time served”.
The Unconditional Love singer, real name Siccaturie Alcock, faces a raft of charges including attempted manslaughter, aggravated assault or attempted aggravated assault in relation to an alleged stabbing incident last year.
The incident involved event promoter Nicardo ‘Papa’ Blake on October 1, 2021, at Dam Square, in the city center of Amsterdam, where the singer was booked for a performance. He was arrested and has been in custody since October 2.
During the closing statement, the prosecutor presented damning evidence that reportedly showed Jah Cure attempted to lie to establish his claim of self-defense. Although it emerged that the CCTV-footage of the incident is inconclusive, the prosecutor said that Jah Cure’s claim of self-defense is “unbelievable”.
The prosecutor pointed out that Jah Cure gave an inaccurate version of events when he told the police that the victim pulled a knife out of his right pocket.
“The victim is left-handed and the suspect didn’t know this,” the prosecutor argued.
The prosecutor sought to establish premeditation.
“The suspect picked up a knife before the meeting with the victim, not to protect himself for wearing an expensive watch,” the prosecutor said.
Voice messages that Jah Cure sent to the victim may also prove to be crucial and compelling in the trial.
In the closing statement, the prosecutor sought to establish that Jah Cure deliberately sought confrontation.
This was reportedly shown by (voice) messages the suspect sent to the victim and people the suspect knows. One of the messages to the victim reportedly read: ‘The last time you will live to diss man thing’.
The prosecutor also outlined the extent of the victim’s injuries, revealing that the victim stated that the suspect stabbed him in his stomach and that the suspect caused a perforation of the victims stomach and a massive loss of blood.
The prosecutor presented evidence from witnesses who saw the alleged attack.
According to a witness, the suspect, Jah Cure, allegedly said on the Dam Square, just before the incident: “This is the nig**r I have to kill” and then made a stabbing motion. The witness didn’t see a knife but he saw the victim clutch his stomach.
Another witness also saw the stabbing motion of the suspect but did not see a knife, the prosecutor said.
“These are grave crimes that not only have consequences for the personal integrity of the victim, but also severely shaken the legal order. Because the victim is stabbed in broad daylight and in the busy city center of Amsterdam, it evokes feelings of unsafety among the general public,” the prosecutor said.
Jah Cure has had several brushes with the law. He was convicted of rape in April 1999 and served eight years of a 15-year sentence in prison. He was released in July 2007.
Coincidentally, his first concert after being released from prison in Jamaica was in The Netherlands at the Reggae Sundance Festival in August 2007.
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