French rapper MHD sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder

French rapper MHD has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder of a 23-year-old man in Paris in 2018.

The artist, whose real name is Mohamed Sylla, was found guilty of killing Loic K in a gang-related attacking, reports French broadcaster BFM TV.

Five other defendants were also jailed over the murder, and three men were acquitted.

Loic K died on July 5, 2018, after he was knocked down by a black Mercedes, then attacked and stabbed by around 12 people in Paris’s 10th arrondissement, Euro News reports.

He died shortly after the attackers left the scene.

MHD denies being at the scene, however eyewitnesses filmed the attack and the Mercedes was identified to belong to the rapper.

The car was found the following day and had been set on fire in a nearby parking lot.

It’s also reported that another witness identified the artist by his haircut and jumper.

A video of the scene shows a man with dyed blonde hair, wearing a Puma tracksuit. At the time MHD had blonde dyed hair and was also an ambassador for the Puma.

“From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence in this case and I will continue to maintain my innocence,” MHD said in his final statement to the court.

MHD worked on creating the genre Afro Trap and is best known for mergingtrap with West African influence, and is widely recognised for his 2016 track, ‘Afro Trap, Part. 7’.

The five other defendants jailed alongside MHD were given prison terms ranging between 10 to 19 years.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag’s Multimedia Editor, follow her on Twitter