Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty in UK assault case
By
Helen Rowe
, AFP
US rapper Chris Brown reacts as he leaves Southwark Crown Court in London, 20 June 2025, after pleading not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent during an alleged London nightclub brawl in 2023.
Photo:
Carlos Jasso / AFP
American R&B singer Chris Brown on Friday pleaded not guilty in a UK court to a charge stemming from an alleged London nightclub brawl in 2023.
Brown, 36, in a navy blue three-piece suit and tie and wearing glasses, stood in the dock as the charge was put to him, replying: "Not guilty, ma'am."
The singer, who is on £5 million (NZ$11.2m) bail, made no comment as he arrived earlier to find a large group of photographers gathered outside the central London court.
He spoke only during the hearing to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his plea to the charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
He smiled and waved to fans in the public gallery as he left.
A five- to seven-day-long trial was fixed to start on 26 October 2026.
Currently on the UK leg of an international tour, Brown spent nearly a week in jail last month before being released on bail.
Police arrested the star at a five-star hotel in the northwestern city of Manchester hours after reportedly flying in by private jet.
Under the terms of his bail, he will forfeit the £5m guarantee if he fails to return for court proceedings.
Judge Tony Baumgartner gave him the green light to continue his scheduled tour, which began on 8 June in Amsterdam.
The singer, who had a
troubled relationship
with Barbadian singer Rihanna, is next due to perform in London on Saturday ahead of dates in Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin and Glasgow.
Handout photo provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Chris Brown is seen in a police booking photo after his arrest on charges of felony battery on 5 July 2018 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Photo:
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
The tour will continue in France and Portugal in early July before a string of concerts in the US, wrapping up in Memphis in the US in October.
Brown is charged in relation to an assault in which the victim was allegedly struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked.
The alleged incident took place at the exclusive private member's club Tape in Hanover Square in London on 19 February 2023, while Brown was touring in the UK.
Other bail terms include that he should surrender his passport if he is not travelling.
He is also required to live at a specific address known to the court and is not permitted to visit the nightclub where the alleged assault took place or contact the alleged victim, Abraham Diah.
Shortly after being released from prison in May, Brown posted an Instagram story referencing his "Breezybowl" tour.
"From the cage to the stage. Breezybowl," he posted.
Brown appeared in the dock at Friday's London hearing with co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, 39, also a US national, with whom he is jointly charged.
Akinlolu also entered a not-guilty plea to the same charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
Both men are also jointly charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
They will enter pleas to that charge on 11 July, the court was told.
Brown also faces a third charge of having an offensive weapon, a bottle, in public.
The Grammy-winning singer is known for mid-2000s hits such as 'Kiss, Kiss'.
He rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame with his rich R&B voice, and later, rap.
- AFP
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