- A male silhouette, with long hair and a hat, stands out in neutral light. This illustrative image accompanies the court report without depicting the defendant. Credits: Unsplash / Freerange Stock.*
The Moha La Squale trial opened this Friday, August 7, 2026, before the Paris criminal court. The case concerns four charges related to alleged violence against two women in May at his home in the 18th arrondissement. After his summary trial was postponed, the rapper was placed in pretrial detention. He is notably being prosecuted for intentional violence while intoxicated and in legal recidivism. The verdict was not yet known.
A Hearing Postponed For A Psychiatric Evaluation
The case was due to be heard on May 29 in summary proceedings. This procedure allows a defendant to be tried quickly after being taken into custody. According to an AFP report published by franceinfo, the court ultimately postponed the hearing. This postponement was meant to allow a psychiatric evaluation of Mohamed Bellahmed, Moha la Squale’s legal name. He remained in pretrial detention. The court notably cited risks of repeating the offense and of pressure on the two complainants.
The charges involve four offenses. The Paris prosecutor’s office told Ouest-France that one concerned intentional violence. It allegedly resulted in five days of total work incapacity, or ITT, while in a state of obvious intoxication. In criminal law, ITT measures the impact of injuries on everyday activities. It does not necessarily correspond to time off work. The full wording of the four counts had not been made public before the hearing.
Two Accounts Of Violence Still Before The Court
During the night of May 26 to 27, neighbors called the police. They had heard screams, sounds of blows, and a woman asking for help, according to the prosecutor’s account. Police reportedly forced open the apartment door, where they allegedly found a woman with several signs of beating. The rapper was arrested after leaving the premises through a window, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The first complainant said she had known the defendant for a few days. According to her account reported by the prosecutor’s office, he allegedly hit her after noticing a watch had gone missing. A second woman, present earlier in the evening, said she had been slapped. These statements and the physical evidence must now be examined adversarially before the court, with the defendant’s defense.
Legal Recidivism Can Increase The Sentence
Legal recidivism is not simply repeating an accusation. It requires that several conditions set by law be met. Among them are a final prior conviction and a legal connection between the offenses. If the court accepts it, it can increase the maximum sentence. Ouest-France says Moha la Squale faces up to six years in prison in this case. That maximum does not prejudge either the prosecutor’s requested sentence or the judges’ decision.
A 2024 Conviction To Be Distinguished From The Current Facts
On July 5, 2024, the Paris criminal court sentenced him to four years in prison. This sentence included one year with a two-year probationary suspension. It punished violence, death threats, and unlawful confinement involving six former partners. According to Libération’s report, this trial lasted four days, from Tuesday to Friday. Moha la Squale was released on August 25, 2025, taking into account the pretrial detention already served before that trial.
This conviction explains why the issue of recidivism is being debated, but it is not proof of the allegations from May 2026. Those must be judged separately. Until a decision is handed down, Mohamed Bellahmed remains presumed innocent of the facts charged in this new case.