Chris Brown has received a suspended prison sentence for a UK club attack.
This means he doesn’t actually have to go to jail.
Rapper and singer Chris Brown has been handed an eight month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to attacking a man at a London club in 2023.
Brown will not serve time in jail unless he commits another offence in the next 12 months.
The judge said Brown striking a man on the head with a tequila bottle “was plainly dangerous”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting singer Rihanna, his then-partner.
In 2014, he pleaded guilty to a charge of assault over a fight outside a hotel.
That incident also led him to spend time in jail as it violated the probation conditions of the 2009 case.
In February 2023, Brown and his vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu attacked music producer Abraham Diaw in the VIP section of a London nightclub.
Brown struck Diaw with a tequila bottle multiple times and tried to punch him.
Akinlolu joined in, punching and kicking Diaw.
He later said he believed Brown was attacked first, so he defended him.
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Sentencing
Diaw sustained head trauma and musculoskeletal injuries in the attack.
In May, Brown and Akinlolu pleaded guilty to affray – the unlawful use of violence towards another person.
This week, Judge Tony Baumgartner sentenced Brown to eight months in prison and Akinlolu to four months, suspending both sentences for 12 months.
This means they can serve the time in the community, rather than spending time in prison, provided they do not reoffend in the next 12 months.
Judge Baumgartner told Brown: “The repeated use of a glass bottle in that way, especially aimed at the head, was plainly dangerous, it carried the risk of delivering a more serious injury than was ultimately sustained.”
“Your fame, commercial success and professional standing do not entitle you to any special treatment.
The law applies equally to everyone,” he added.
Judge Baumgartner referenced Brown’s previous assault convictions, saying “they are relevant because of their nature, but they are now old.”
What’s next?
Shortly after the sentence was delivered, Brown posted an Instagram story of himself giving a thumbs-up, seemingly responding to the outcome of the case.
The suspended sentence means Brown will be able to continue his North American tour with Usher.
Complex reported earlier this month that the artists had cancelled four dates in the lead-up to this week’s sentencing.
