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Grammy-nominated Jamaican reggae artist Jah Cure, whose real name is Siccature Alcock, has been sentenced to eight years and four months in prison by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal following a retrial that upgraded his conviction from attempted manslaughter to attempted murder.
The 47-year-old singer was found guilty of stabbing a 45-year-old concert promoter in broad daylight on Amsterdam’s Dam Square in October 2021. The court ruled that Alcock acted with premeditation, noting that messages he sent before the attack indicated his intent to harm the victim.
Investigators determined that the incident stemmed from a dispute over payment for a concert performance in Amsterdam. On the day of the stabbing, Alcock sent a series of voice messages expressing anger toward the promoter and suggesting he was prepared to face imprisonment for his actions.
The attack left the victim with a serious abdominal wound requiring surgery and hospitalization for a week. He later underwent additional surgery related to the injuries. The court also ordered Alcock to pay nearly €9,500 in compensation to the victim.
During the retrial, the defense argued that the messages should be interpreted within the artist’s cultural context and claimed that he acted in self-defense, but both arguments were rejected by the court.
Jah Cure, who rose to international prominence with his 2015 album The Cure — which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album — had been in Amsterdam for a performance at the Melkweg venue days before the incident.
This is not Alcock’s first time behind bars. In 1999, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Jamaica for firearm possession and rape, serving eight years before being released.
The new ruling marks a significant escalation in the case, extending Jah Cure’s sentence by more than two years from his original six-year term.
English (US) ·