Jamaican reggae artist Jah Cure has been sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of attempted manslaughter in the Netherlands.
Urban Islandz obtained court documents revealing Cure stabbed Dutch-Jamaican promoter Ricardo Blake in October 2021. Cure’s trial began in January.
The Public Prosecution Service of the Netherlands released the verdict in a statement on Tuesday, March 22. Prosecutors believe Cure “blew up and escalated” the matter when he stabbed Blake in the stomach.
The “Freedom” singer, who had a knife in his pocket, claimed self-dense against the man he had “violent quarrels” with. However, the court obtained voice notes and text messages sent to Blake, which prove Cure intentionally planned to kill him.
Prosecutors initially demanded an eight-year sentence and credit for time served, alleging the violent matter frightened the people in the Netherlands. The Grammy-nominated artist was initially arraigned on multiple charges, including primary suspicion of attempted murder, attempted manslaughter, aggravated assault, or attempted aggravated assault.
Cure’s case intends to send a message about maintaining the country’s peaceful aura.
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.”
According to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics, the Netherlands has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe.
Jah Cure has a history of legal troubles, including serving eight years for raping and robbing a woman at gunpoint in 1998. The outlet also reported his 2016 arrest following a hotel brawl in the Bahamas, where an unidentified person knocked him out. Cure was arrested and charged for fighting, but courts dropped the case after he maintained he wasn’t participating in the fight, only breaking it up. In 2015, he was arrested on charges of taking money for a show he failed to perform.
Waiting for Jah Cure on the outside are his mother, a 10-year-old daughter, Kailani Belle, and a quintessential legacy of music and hits like “Longing For,” “Love Is,” and “True Reflection (Prison Walls).” His 2015 album, “The Cure,” topped the Billboard Reggae Charts and received a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album. Cure has also worked with a number of American artists, including Mya, Tory Lanez, Melanie Fiona, Damian Marley, and more.
