Saad Lamjarred: Moroccan star singer convicted of rape in France

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Image caption, Saad Lamjarred is famous on the Arab pop music scene

Saad Lamjarred, a star Moroccan singer, has been found guilty of raping a young woman in France and sentenced to six years in prison.

Lamjarred, 37, showed no reaction after the verdict was announced by a court in Paris on Friday, French media reported. He was immediately detained.

During a short trial, he denied raping the woman in a Paris hotel in 2016.

Lamjarred is famous in the Arab music world. His hit LM3ALLEM has been viewed more than one billion times on YouTube.

When Lamjarred was arrested in 2016, the king of Morocco - who has awarded Lamjarred the country's highest national honour - intervened to cover the singer's legal fees.

Many of the singer's fans alleged at the time that he was the victim of a "plot" by neighbouring Algeria, which has strained relations with Morocco.

And the first song he released after his arrest, which he dedicated to the king, showed just how popular he remained, gaining over 140m views.

It was not immediately clear if he planned to appeal against the verdict.