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Rapper MHD has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, after being found guilty of murdering a young man.
The BBC reported that the 29-year-old, whose real name is Mohamed Sylla, was convicted Involved in the murder of 23-year-old Loic K in Paris in 2018.
The French court heard that the victim was hit by a Mercedes car, before being beaten and stabbed by a group of up to 12 people. MHD has entered a plea of “not guilty” to the charge. Five other defendants were also convicted, while three others were acquitted.
Agence France-Presse reported that MHD told the court: “From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence in this case and I will continue to maintain my innocence.” He said he was not at the crime scene, and the case against him is based on rumours. Part of the evidence against him was footage filmed by a local resident through the window of his house, while other witnesses identified MHD.
MHD has a large following on social media and is known for coming up with the idea of “Afro trap” – a fusion of trap music with West African sounds. He was previously part of the rap group 1.9 Reseaux.
He has enjoyed success over the past decade through social media posts and YouTube videos. He released his first album in 2016 – MHD It sold 200,000 copies in six months. He has been in pretrial detention since his arrest in 2019.