AFP
Saad Lamjarred, here in Tunis, Tunisia, in July 2016.
JUSTICE – Saad Lamjarred had warned the day before: his version is completely different from that of Laura P. No rape, no sexual relationship, ” Never “swore the Moroccan singer before the Paris Assize Court on Wednesday February 22, under the dismayed gaze of the one who accuses him of having raped and hit her in a hotel room.
It is 6 p.m. when the ultra-famous pop star in the Arab world takes the stand, in a small courtroom filled with curious people and fans. As Laura P. had done the day before, he goes into detail on this Tuesday evening in October 2016.
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At the beginning, their versions correspond: the meeting in a posh nightclub in the capital, the evening which continues with a first « after »before continuing to his hotel.
Comfortable at the helm, almost smiling, Saad Lamjarred, 37, describes the taxi ride. “We hold hands, I compliment her on her beauty”.
“We hug each other, not friendly hugs”he insists. “We liked each other, it wasn’t just physical, I liked his personality even though we only talked for two hours”.
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In the bedroom, they dance, they discuss. Then she tells him “sorry, I couldn’t kiss you in front of everyone”, and Saad Lamjarred takes that as a “sign”. He bends down, kisses her, “a long kiss”.
This is where their stories diverge radically.
“And there suddenly, he pushed my head which hit the ground”, Laura P. told the helm on Tuesday, trembling and in tears. The young woman, 20 years old at the time, then described her incomprehension, her hair which he had pulled, astride her despite her repeated refusals.
According to her, he had undressed her by force, then had licked her body before inflicting a first punch, then two digital penetrations, vaginal and anal, and a brief penile penetration. She had then managed to push him away by biting him in the lower back.
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Saad Lamjarred, targeted by several other very similar rape charges in New York, Casablanca, Saint-Tropez, on which he refuses to speak, tells him that they were undressing when he felt a “very painful scratch in the back”.
” A real man “
“I did something that I regret, I pushed him in the face brutally. It was an involuntary reflex, I’m not proud of it., ” I’m not like that “said the singer, navy sweater on a white shirt, recalling that he had drunk and consumed cocaine, an aggravating circumstance.
“I shouldn’t have done that, a real man doesn’t do that”he continues.
Then the singer becomes even more solemn: “Madam President, I say it today and I will say it until my last breath, I, Saad Lamjarred, have never penetrated Laura P., in any way”.
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Without turning around, he addresses her. “I’m sorry for this reflex of violence, I didn’t want to make you cry”, he said. Laura P. keeps her hand in front of her eyes, head down.
And then Saad Lamjarred’s voice breaks. “On the other hand, my future, my family, my life, my reputation… we are both in bad situations. I try to smile, make videos, but I don’t feel like smiling”moaned in a sob the singer with hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, leaning on the bar.
“But shut up”we hear murmuring on the bench of the relatives of the civil party.
If it is a “misunderstanding, of a misunderstanding”, “Did you ask her why she reacted like that? »asks President Frédérique Aline several times without really getting an answer.
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“I’m not saying she lied, I’m saying maybe she was wrong”replies Saad Lamjarred.
“She was wrong about what?” »asks the president. “Either she invents… but it’s complicated to confuse acts of this nature with a slap”. “Do you have an explanation? ».
” I’ve no idea “loose the singer.
The verdict is expected Friday.
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