Chris Brown gets suspended jail term over 2023 London nightclub attack
- Chris Brown was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for a year, at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.
- He had pleaded guilty to affray over a fight at Tape nightclub in London in February 2023.
- His co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu also received a suspended sentence for his role in the attack.
American singer Chris Brown will not go to prison after a UK court handed him an eight-month jail sentence suspended for a year on Monday. The sentence means he will only be imprisoned if he commits another offence within the next 12 months.
Brown, 37, had pleaded guilty in July to affray, a public order offence, over a fight at Tape, a private members' club in central London, on 19 February 2023. He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.
Judge Tony Baumgartner said Brown played a "leading role" in the attack on music producer Abe Diaw. The judge said Brown struck Diaw twice on the head with a tequila bottle, hit him on the shoulder and tried to strike again. CCTV footage showed the incident lasted no more than 20 seconds.
"The repeated use of a glass bottle in that way… was plainly dangerous," the judge said, adding that it could have caused much more serious injury.
Diaw needed hospital treatment for head trauma, tenderness around his neck and abdomen, and reduced movement in his left knee.
Brown's co-defendant, 40-year-old Omololu Akinlolu, described in reports as his vocal coach, also pleaded guilty to affray. He was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for a year. The judge said Akinlolu did not start the violence but joined in by punching and kicking Diaw while he was on the ground.
More serious charges against both men, including assault and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, were dropped after their guilty pleas.
The judge said Brown's fame and commercial success did not entitle him to special treatment. He noted Brown had two previous convictions involving violence, from 2009 and 2013, but said they were now old. He also considered Brown's compliance with bail conditions, his role as a father of four, his steady work and charity activities.
Brown's lawyer, Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, called the incident "ugly and unattractive" but said it was very short-lived. She said Brown offered a "profound apology" to everyone present.
After the sentencing, Brown was greeted by cheering fans outside court. He posted a video on Instagram making a thumbs-up sign from inside his car.
Brown is known for mid-2000s hits such as "Kiss Kiss" and has sold tens of millions of records worldwide. He also has a history of legal troubles, including a 2009 felony conviction for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna.
What happens next
Brown is free to continue his career as long as he does not commit another offence in the next year. If he does, he could be sent to prison to serve the eight-month term.
