Chris Brown appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday to be sentenced for a bottle attack at a Mayfair nightclub three years ago. The 37-year-old Grammy-winning singer faces up to three years in prison after pleading guilty in July to a single count of affray.
Fans cheered as Brown stepped out of a car outside the courthouse. He wore a black mask and dark glasses, a black ball cap over his dyed blond hair, a black leather jacket and a light-colored turtleneck.
Brown had previously denied striking music producer Abraham Diaw at the Tape nightclub in February 2023. Prosecutors said the attack was captured on surveillance footage in front of a club full of people.
Under the plea deal, prosecutors dropped three more serious charges: assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, and possession of an offensive weapon — the bottle used in the attack.
Brown’s friend and vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, also pleaded guilty to affray and will be sentenced alongside him.
After the brawl, Brown left the United Kingdom and was not arrested until May 2025, when he was taken into custody at a Manchester hotel after flying in for a concert. He was later released on bail of 5 million pounds, about $6.7 million, which allowed him to continue touring Europe and North America over the summer.
Brown first became a star in 2005 as a teenager. He won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” and took home a second in the same category in 2025 for “11:11 (Deluxe).”
His legal troubles date back to 2009, when he was convicted of felony assault after attacking his then-girlfriend Rihanna hours before the two were scheduled to perform at the Grammys. He has since been arrested in multiple U.S. states over altercations. In 2019, French police arrested and questioned him in Paris on suspicion of rape; he was released without charge.
