Photo Credit: Chris Brown by Mark Duffus / Public Domain
Chris Brown has avoided prison time over his assault against a music producer in a swanky London nightclub three years ago.
On Monday, Chris Brown was spared prison time for his assault against a music producer in a private London nightclub three years ago. The Grammy-winning artist was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for a year.
He pleaded guilty to a count of affray in July for the attack at Tape, a prestigious nightclub in London’s Mayfair neighborhood, in February 2023. Brown could have faced up to three years in prison, and video footage played in court even showed that the 37-year-old had to be pulled away from the victim, producer Abraham Diaw. Brown struck Diaw, his former friend, twice in the head with a tequila bottle.
“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,” said Judge Tony Baumgartner in Southwark Crown Court.
However, Judge Baumgartner said that Brown did not qualify for a custodial sentence, despite the severity of the attack, because he pleaded guilty. Further, there were several mitigating circumstances, including stable employment and charity work. Even considering Brown’s previous convictions, Baumgartner noted that he had maintained a clean record over the past several years.
Omolulu Akinlolu, Brown’s co-defendant in the attack, also pleaded guilty to affray in July at Southwark Crown Court. The 40-year-old Akinlolu was given a four-month sentence, which was similarly suspended. While his role in the attack was “significant,” according to Baumgartner, he neither initiated the attack nor used a bottle or other weapon, in stark contrast to Brown.
Chris Brown has faced repeated legal trouble over the years, most notably with his felony conviction for the 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend Rihanna. He has been arrested in several U.S. states over various altercations since then, but the charges were either dropped altogether or he was simply not charged. He was arrested in Paris in 2019 on suspicion of rape, but he was ultimately released without charge.
Both men must also each pay £1,500 (~$2,000) toward court costs.