Singer Saad Lamjarred Arrested in France After Rape Conviction, 10-Year Sentence

The French judiciary on Saturday issued a verdict sentencing Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred to 10 years in prison, ordering his immediate arrest from inside the courtroom. This ruling comes after his conviction for the rape of a young woman he met in 2018 in Saint-Tropez, southeastern France. Lamjarred had appealed a previous five-year sentence issued by the Draguignan court last May for the same charge. The Draguignan court had convicted the 41-year-old Moroccan singer on May 15, 2026, and sentenced him to five years in prison following a four-day trial. Lamjarred appeared before the court at that time in a closed session at the victim's request, and the court did not issue an arrest warrant against him then. The public prosecution had sought a 10-year prison sentence, while his defense demanded his acquittal from the charge, which Lamjarred consistently denied, asserting that the relationship was consensual. The details of the case date back to 2018, when the plaintiff, who worked as a waitress, met Lamjarred in a nightclub, then agreed to accompany him to his hotel for a drink. According to her account, he took her to his room and sexually assaulted her. Lamjarred denied this narrative, stating that the relationship was consensual between both parties. The Moroccan artist had previously faced similar accusations in other cases, including one in Morocco in 2015 and another in the United States in 2010.