Saad Lamjarred sentenced to 10 years in prison for rape on appeal at Créteil
Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred has been sentenced on appeal to ten years' imprisonment for rape at Créteil. His lawyer announces a cassation appeal.
Ten years' imprisonment on appeal for singer Saad Lamjarred
The Créteil assizes court sentenced Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred on Saturday 26 September to ten years' criminal imprisonment for aggravated rape, a heavier sentence than that handed down in the first instance, reports BFM TV. The 41-year-old artist was remanded in custody at the end of the hearing.
In 2023, the Paris assizes court had sentenced him to six years' imprisonment for the same facts. The public prosecutor's office had sought eight years. Lamjarred has also been placed on the register of sexual offence perpetrators.
His lawyer, Ms Marie Burguburu, told AFP that a cassation appeal would be filed. The artist continued to proclaim his innocence.
The facts tried
Saad Lamjarred was found guilty of raping Laura P. in 2016 in a hotel room, after meeting her in a Parisian nightclub. The victim was 20 years old at the time of the facts; he was 31. The rape was classified as aggravated due to the defendant's intoxicated state.
The appeal trial was held in camera, after being postponed in June 2025 to allow further investigations. His lawyers for the civil party, Messrs David Chemmi and Victorien de Faria, told AFP that the sentence was explained in particular by "the disturbing profile of the accused" and by "the particularly aggressive strategy adopted" towards the complainant.
Parallel extortion attempt
As part of this matter, five people were sentenced in April for attempted extortion against the singer: three million euros were allegedly demanded from him to obtain the withdrawal of the complaint and the victim's absence from the hearings. Laura P. herself was acquitted in this case, but her mother, a lawyer and an influencer received sentences ranging from six months to two years' imprisonment suspended, along with two other convicted persons.
The defence strongly denounced the verdict. Mr Ouadie Elhamamouchi stated: "This decision is incomprehensible. The court had before its eyes the demonstration that the complainant had attempted, as early as 2017, to monetise the abandonment of her complaint. It had before its eyes the proof that in 2025, the complainant and her circle had again attempted to obtain from Saad Lamjarred the sum of three million euros, presented as 'the price of his liberty'. " The lawyer added: "These facts are serious, they are established, and they have been dismissed. How can one condemn a man to ten years in prison on the sole word of a person who, on two occasions, put a price on her complaint?"
Other convictions in France and abroad
In May last, the Var assizes court at Draguignan had sentenced Lamjarred to five years in prison for the rape of another young woman in 2018, near Saint-Tropez. He appealed that decision.
The singer had also been implicated in similar cases in 2015 in Morocco and in 2010 in the United States, where a procedure for rape and sexual assault was closed following a financial settlement with the victim.
Highly followed in the Arab world, Lamjarred has more than 15 million followers on Instagram and nearly 16 million on his YouTube channel.
Source: BFM TV