The lawyer for reggae singer Jah Cure, who was ordered to serve six years behind bars, will have a discussion with the artiste on the merits of an appeal.
On Tuesday, a panel of three judges in the Netherlands handed down a guilty verdict on the Longing For singer, who has been behind bars in Amsterdam since October 2021. Jah Cure, whose real name is Siccaturie Alcock, has the option of appealing the sentence.
A member of his legal team, Jan-Hein Kuijpers, told The Gleaner that no decision on the way forward had yet been taken.
“Jah Cure was acquitted for attempted murder and convicted for attempted manslaughter. I will discuss the verdict with him to see if an appeal is useful,” Kuijpers said on Tuesday.
He added, “Jah Cure says he never wanted to kill anybody. It was a stressful and emotional situation.”
Reports are that Jah Cure, who was in Amsterdam for a concert, stabbed 45-year-old event promoter Nicardo ‘Papa’ Blake on October 1 at Dam Square, in the city centre. Two days prior to the incident, Jah Cure had performed at a concert promoted by Blake, but there were issues over money, which was being addressed by the artiste.
One producer told The Gleaner that this incident highlights the need for artistes to have an experienced manager who travels with them and conducts business on their behalf.
“Jah Cure did not go on the road with a manager, and because of that, he ended up dealing with the promoters himself. Now, as an artiste, you are not supposed to be dealing with the promoter, your manager is supposed to do that. So if there is any problem, or any money short, you won’t have to deal with that personally. The manager takes care of that, and an experienced manager will handle the matter in a professional manner,” Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards of Contractor Music Group said.
“This should be a lesson to all artistes about the benefits and necessity of having a professional manager, which Jah Cure went on the road without. Because of their experience, they learn how to give and take,” he added.
Jah Cure’s manager, Nathan Cowan, did not answer his phone nor respond to requests for an interview or questions from The Gleaner.
At his trial on March 8, Jah Cure had pleaded self-defence; however, the prosecutor dismissed the claim as “unbelievable” and had proposed an eight-year sentence for the Prison Walls singer for attempted murder and assault.
The prosecutor questioned Jah Cure’s version of events when he told the police that the victim had pulled a knife out of his right pocket. “The victim is left-handed, and the suspect didn’t know this,” the prosecutor said.
The prosecution had also revealed a series of threatening texts that were sent to the promoter, and noted that the victim received a deep stab wound, which resulted in massive loss of blood that necessitated him undergoing a major surgical procedure.
Jah Cure and his team can appeal to the Court of Appeal within two weeks if they disagree with the court’s ruling.
In April 1999, Jah Cure was convicted of rape and sentenced to 15 years in jail. He served eight years of the sentence and was released in July 2007.
