Convicted in 2023 to six years in prison for aggravated rape, Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred is set to face the courts once again. He will appear free before the Court of Appeal in Créteil from June 2 to 6, 2025. The case dates back to 2016, when the pop star met Laura P. in a Paris nightclub. A few hours later, in a hotel room, the young woman claimed she was beaten and raped. She was 21 years old at the time. During the first trial, she gave chilling testimony, describing the assault, her screams, and her eventual escape. The 40-year-old singer, a prominent figure on the Arab pop scene, has consistently denied the allegations, claiming that no sexual act took place. The court, however, found itself «convinced» of the rape, citing the victim's consistent and detailed account from the time of her initial complaint. The conviction also referenced «the seriousness of the acts, involving the rape of a young woman in her early twenties by a 31-year-old adult, committed with evident violence in a context of heavy alcohol and cocaine use». The court emphasized that Lamjarred could not claim ignorance of the lack of consent, given the violence used and his alleged attempt to dissuade the victim from calling the police immediately afterward. The court also took issue with «the accused's continued denial of the acts» and his «lack of reflection on his actions», as well as a «minimizing narrative» he reportedly presented to a psychiatric expert in 2017. In June, Lamjarred will be retried on charges of «rape with multiple aggravating circumstances» and «aggravated assault» resulting in less than eight days of total incapacity. The high-profile case has once again reignited debates around the impunity of celebrities accused of sexual violence.
