Arzen Rose Dulzura

Chris Brown pleads guilty to 2023 London nightclub assault

Article (news)

Alyana De Guzman

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<p>Grammy-winning R&amp;B singer Chris Brown has pleaded guilty to affray in connection with what prosecutors described as &quot;a vicious and unprovoked attack&quot; inside a London nightclub in 2023. </p><p>The incident took place in the early hours of February 19, 2023, at Tape, a private members&#x27; club in Mayfair, London.  </p><p>According to prosecutors, Chris approached music producer Abe Diaw from the dance floor before allegedly striking him over the head with a bottle. Chris&#x27; vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, a rapper from Florida who performs under the name Hoody Baby, joined the attack by punching Abe in the head. </p><p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the assault continued even as the victim tried to escape.  </p><p>&quot;They continued their assault whilst the victim attempted to flee through the club,&quot; the CPS said in a statement. &quot;The victim was kicked while he was seated defenceless on the floor.&quot; </p><p>Abe was later taken to the hospital for treatment of head and knee injuries. </p><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-14" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/Da36tkhFv6F/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A14%2C%22os%22%3A18102120.700000048%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="846" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-14" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>On July 23, Chris formally admitted his involvement in the incident after changing his plea during a hearing at London&#x27;s Southwark Crown Court. Several international media outlets reported that the court appearance lasted less than five minutes. </p><p>Chris had originally been scheduled to stand trial on more serious charges, including assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, and possessing an offensive weapon, identified in court as a tequila bottle. He had previously denied those allegations. </p><p>Following his guilty plea to affray, those more serious charges were dropped. </p><p>Omololu also pleaded guilty to affray. Like Chris, the assault and attempted grievous bodily harm charges against him were also dropped. </p><p>According to UK Legislation, a person is guilty of affray &quot;if he uses or threatens unlawful violence towards another and his conduct is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety.&quot; It carries an imprisonment term not exceeding 3 years or a fine or both.  </p><p>Chris and Omololu are scheduled to be sentenced on October 26. </p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-12" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZ0sjg7gQSL/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A12%2C%22os%22%3A18075066.80000007%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="846" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-12" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>The judge allowed Chris to leave the United Kingdom under his bail conditions but ordered him to return by October 25 ahead of his sentencing. </p><p>Detective Constable Zara Ripamonti of the Metropolitan Police condemned the attack, saying: &quot;This was a disgraceful, unprovoked assault that put a man in hospital.&quot; </p><p>&quot;There is no place for serious violence like this in the London and I&#x27;m pleased these men accepted what they did wasn&#x27;t just completely unacceptable - but criminal. This has been a long investigation and we&#x27;ve worked with police colleagues in the UK to bring these two men to justice,&quot; she added.  </p><p>Claire Campbell, senior crown prosecutor for CPS London South, also criticized the incident. &quot;This was a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim&#x27;s head twice.&quot; </p><p>She continued: &quot;This kind of violence is entirely unacceptable, and the Crown Prosecution Service will work tirelessly - with the police and partners across the criminal justice system - to pursue cases like this, and prove that no one is above the law.&quot; </p><p>At earlier court hearings, Chris was ordered to pay a £5 million (approximately ₱411 million) security fee as part of his bail conditions. The arrangement also allowed him to continue his world tour, provided that he surrendered his passport upon arriving in each country. </p><p>This is not the first time Chris has faced legal consequences for assault. </p><p>In 2009, he pleaded guilty to physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, pop superstar Rihanna, just before the pair were scheduled to perform at the Grammy Awards. </p><p>In that case, Chris was sentenced to 180 days of community labor and five years of probation. </p><p>As of writing, Chris has yet to share his statement regarding the matter.  </p>

<p>Chris Brown pleads guilty to a bottle attack in a 2023 London nightclub assault, avoiding trial on more serious charges. </p>

Chris Brown pleads guilty to a bottle attack in a 2023 London nightclub assault, avoiding trial on more serious charges.