Prosecutors seek 30-month sentence for Ali B in appeal over rape, assault convictions

Dutch prosecutors on Thursday sought a 30-month prison sentence against rapper Ali B in an appeal of his high-profile sex crimes case, arguing he is guilty of one assault and two rapes, including allegations involving singer Ellen ten Damme and another woman.

The case revisits earlier proceedings in 2024 at a court in Haarlem, where prosecutors had requested a three-year sentence. The court ultimately sentenced Ali B to two years in prison, finding him guilty of one rape and the attempted rape of Ten Damme.

In the appeal, the Public Prosecution Service said it now considers proven that Ali B raped Ten Damme and also committed both the assault and rape of another woman. Prosecutors, however, requested acquittal in a separate assault allegation involving Jill Helena, citing insufficient supporting evidence.

“The impact of the facts has been very significant for the victims. They are still dealing with psychological consequences,” the prosecutor said during the appeal hearing.

Prosecutors added that the sentencing demand takes into account the extensive media attention surrounding the case and the fact that Ali B has no prior criminal record.

The first report in the case came from a woman who alleged she was raped and assaulted by Ali B in August 2018 during a songwriting camp in Heiloo. She told police that while she was in a bedroom of a villa performing oral sex with rapper Ronnie Flex, Ali B inserted his fingers into her without consent or warning. She also alleged that shortly before, he assaulted her in the villa’s kitchen-living area. Prosecutors said they consider her statements reliable. Ali B denies the accusations.

Helena, a former contestant on the TV show The Voice of Holland, reported an assault in May 2018. According to the charges, she was driven to the Martin Luther Kingpark in Amsterdam, where she was allegedly forced to perform a sexual act on the rapper. Prosecutors said during the second day of hearings that her case lacks the necessary corroborating evidence and asked the court to acquit. The Haarlem court reached the same conclusion in 2024.

Ten Damme told police she was raped by Ali B in April 2014 at a hotel in Meknès, Morocco, during recordings for the AVROTROS program Ali B en de Muziekkaravaan. Unlike Helena’s case, prosecutors said there is sufficient supporting evidence in Ten Damme’s allegations.