Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred sentenced to 10 years in prison in France

Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by an appeals court in Créteil, France, over the rape of a woman in a Paris hotel room in 2016.

The verdict was delivered on September 26, with the court also ordering his immediate detention.

The 41-year-old singer was initially sentenced to six years in prison by a Paris criminal court in 2023 after being found guilty in the same case.

The appeal trial began on September 17 and was held behind closed doors. Prosecutors had sought an eight-year sentence during the proceedings.

The case involves Laura P., who was 20 when she met Lamjarred at a Paris nightclub in October 2016. Prosecutors alleged that he raped her later that night at a hotel. Lamjarred has consistently denied the allegation and maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.

Following the verdict, Lamjarred’s lawyer Marie Burguburu said the defence plans to challenge the ruling before France’s Court of Cassation. Such an appeal examines whether the law and legal procedure were correctly applied rather than conducting another full trial of the facts.

Lamjarred is also facing a separate case in France. In May 2026, he was sentenced to five years in prison over the rape of another woman in an incident near Saint-Tropez in 2018. He has also appealed that conviction.