London (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 ($6.7 million) 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 October 26, 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 £5 million 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 June 8 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. 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 members’ club Tape in Hanover Square in London on February 19, 2023.
Other bail terms include that he should surrender his passport if he is not traveling. 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 July 11, 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.
© 2024 AFP
