Saad Lamjarred sentenced on appeal to ten years of criminal imprisonment for rape

Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred was sentenced on appeal in Créteil (Val-de-Marne) to ten years of criminal imprisonment for rape, Saturday September 26, with a committal warrant. A heavier sentence than at first instance: in 2023, the Paris Assize Court sentenced him to six years in prison. His alcoholic state at the time of the events was held against him, the public prosecutor's office told AFP, which had requested eight years of imprisonment.

The 41-year-old artist was accused of raping and beating Laura P in a hotel room in 2016. The two had met in a Parisian nightclub. She was 20 years old at the time of the events, and he was 31.

Very popular in Morocco and the Arab world, Saad Lamjarred had been on appeal since September 17. The trial was held behind closed doors, after being postponed until June 2025 to conduct additional investigations.

A cassation appeal will be filed

“This sentence seems to me to be explained in particular by the worrying profile of the accused, but also by the particularly aggressive strategy adopted” with regard to the complainant, David Chemmi, one of her two lawyers, told AFP. “The systematic questioning of his word, as well as the attacks directed against investigators and experts, were clearly poorly received by the jurors. We can defend an accused with determination, but we cannot do so by denying or scorning the victim,” he added.

A cassation appeal will be filed, Marie Burguburu, one of the artist's lawyers, told AFP. He continues to proclaim his innocence.

Already convicted of rape in another case

In another case, Saad Lamjarred was sentenced in May to five years in prison by the Var Assize Court, in Draguignan, for the rape of a young woman in 2018 near Saint-Tropez. He appealed.