He has already spent six years in jail, but popular entertainer Garfield Vassell, more commonly known as Zebra, will still have to wait for another year before he is eligible for parole.

The earliest possible date for the deejay to be released on parole is on September 6, 2008.

Vassell has been incarcerated in the St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre since 2001 and was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison for rape, assault at common law, indecent assault and breaching a probation order.

CHARDED WITH RAPE

The deejay was charged with the rape of an 18-year-old university student, who was assaulted in bushes near Barry, St. Catherine ,in January 2001. According to reports, at about 5 a.m., Zebra, while using his car as a route taxi, picked up the student in Half-Way Tree and proceeded to Spanish Town. Police said he dropped off the other passengers and then took the girl to Barry where he raped her.

The assault at common law charge stemmed from an incident involving his then girlfriend Sherilla 'Zebress' Williams. The two reportedly had an argument at their Oakland apartment and Williams was allegedly beaten.

Vassell was later charged with indecent assault following an incident which occured on October 17, 2000. He reportedly fondled a 15-year-old girl, pushed her onto a bed and tried to have sex with her.

But although he won't get the chance to roam the streets for this year, Vassell seems to be making the most of his time in the pen. He is an active part of the institution's music rehabilitation programme, which seeks to make the reformation process easier through the use of music.

Zebra rose to popularity in the early '90s and was immediately noticed because of his similarity to veteran deejay Tiger. His hits include Picture Frame, Rupert and Dem Unfair Eh-No.

The deejay's first brush with the law came in 1996 when he was jailed for 18 months on a charge of abusing a young woman. He was however later released because of insufficient evidence.