Chris Brown has received a suspended jail sentence in relation to a 2023 attack in a nightclub on Monday (Oct. 26).
Brown was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months and instructed to pay a £1,500 ($2,000) surcharge toward the prosecution’s legal costs. Brown will not be spending time in prison as a result of the sentencing.
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The offense relates to an attack at Mayfair nightclub Tape on music producer Abe Diaw on Feb. 19, 2023. Brown was alleged to have used a tequila bottle as a weapon during the incident, which prosecutors said saw Brown launch an unprovoked attack on Diaw when he hit him several times with a bottle and continued to punch and kick him.
Brown pled guilty to a charge of affray in July at London’s Southwark Crown Court. Brown was initially due to face trial on more serious charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon. Brown denied the charges, which were subsequently dropped.
CCTV footage from the event was shown in court on Monday and showed Brown hitting Diaw “four times with the bottle, twice to the head,” the BBC reports.
Brown’s vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, also pleaded guilty to affray and had his assault and attempted grievous bodily harm charges dropped. Akinlolu was sentenced to four months, suspended for 12 months and also instructed to pay the surcharge for legal costs.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Tony Baumgartner said, “the repeated use of a glass bottle in that way was plainly dangerous” and “carried the risk of causing significantly more serious injury than was ultimately sustained.”
Brown was first arrested in connection with the incident in May 2025 by London’s Metropolitan Police hours after touching down in Manchester for a concert. He spent a week in custody before being released on bail and able to commence his Breezy Bowl XX tour dates in the U.K. and Europe last summer. Bail conditions set for Brown included a £5 million ($6.67 million) security fee and surrendering his passport on arrival in each country while on his world tour.
In recent months, Brown has been on the co-headline R&B Tour with Usher through North America, though a number of shows in October were canceled to “prioritize the health and well-being of the touring party and crew.” Brown’s sentencing was not listed as a reason in relation to the cancellation.
In pre-sentencing remarks, Brown’s defense lawyer Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC said that this was an “ugly and unattractive incident” and that Brown “offers a profound apology to all those present” for the “distress” caused by the incident. In his sentencing remarks, the judge noted that Diaw had initially cooperated with the prosecution but eventually withdrew support.
The R&B tour is due to résumé on Nov. 5 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
