Jah Cure’s conviction may not be a done deal. That’s at least according to his lawyer Jan-Hein Kuijpers, who spoke with The Gleaner about the possibility of the reggae/dancehall star filing an appeal of the sentence.
Yesterday, March 22, Jah Cure, whose real name is Siccaturie Alcock, was sentenced to six years in prison in The Netherlands for attempted manslaughter. According to his lawyer, the next step is to have a discussion with the “What Will It Take” singer to figure out if there is enough merit to file an appeal.
The renowned crooner has been behind bars in Amsterdam since October 2021. His guilty verdict was handed down by a panel of three judges in the Netherlands. Even though he had a chance at filing an appeal, his legal team admitted that they had not yet decided what was next.
Jah Cure’s lawyer added that Jah Cure was acquitted for attempted murder and convicted for attempted manslaughter. He also reiterated that it is his belief that Jah Cure never wanted to kill anybody and that for the star, it is a very stressful and emotional situation. If they decide to pursue an appeal in the Court of Appeal, they must do so within two weeks.
The “Before I Leave” singer has maintained that he acted in self-defense, but during the course of the trial, the prosecutor denied the claim and labeled it as “unbelievable.” The prosecutor also pushed for an eight-year sentence for the singer for attempted murder and assault.
During the case, his version of events was disputed by witnesses. Jah Cure claimed that the victim, Nicardo ‘Papa’ Blake, had pulled a knife out of his right pocket. According to the prosecution, this could not have happened since the victim is left-handed, and the singer was not aware of this.
The prosecution sealed the judgment by presenting threatening texts from Jah Cure sent to the promoter. They also noted that it was not surface wounds that the victim received but that the stab wound was quite deep, resulting in significant blood loss, which meant that he had to undergo a major surgical procedure.
When news of the incident broke, it was reported that Jah Cure stabbed the 45-year-old event promoter at Dam Square just two days after he performed at a concert promoted by Blake. The tension between the two is believed to be connected to the non-payment of performance fees.
According to the prosecution, the stabbing was considered trivial because the amount owed to the artist by the promoter was about EU$5000 for a concert he performed at the Melkweg. The prosecutor further stated that Jah Cure’s actions prior to the stabbing clearly indicated that his actions were premeditated and that he had every intention to cause wounding and harm to Blake.
Following the sentence yesterday, several Dutch news service websites said that the court described Jah Cure’s actions towards Nicardo Blake as a “seemingly rather trivial conflict’ that he “blew up and escalated” when he stabbed the promoter in the abdomen, causing his stomach to perforate.
This is his second stint behind bars as on April 26, 1999; he was convicted for two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, rape, and robbery with aggravation. He served eight years of the 15-year sentence that he received.
