Singer Chris Brown Spared Jail After London Nightclub Violent Assault & Affray
US R&B star handed suspended prison sentence at Southwark Crown Court following Mayfair glass bottle attack on Abraham Diaw.
American singer Chris Brown has been handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to affray following a bottle attack on a man inside a London nightclub. The 37-year-old R&B performer was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court alongside his vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, 40, who also pleaded guilty to the same charge. Charges of assault and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm against both defendants were dropped after they entered their guilty pleas in July.
The court heard that the incident occurred in February 2023 at Tape nightclub, a private members' club in Mayfair, central London. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Brown approached the victim, Abraham Diaw, from the dancefloor before striking him twice over the head with a glass tequila bottle. Metropolitan Police CCTV footage showed Brown hitting the victim on the head with the bottle several times before being pulled away, while the assault continued as the victim attempted to flee through the club and was kicked while seated defenceless on the floor. The victim required hospital treatment for head and knee injuries.
Defending Brown, Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC told the court that the incident was short-lived, lasting between 17 and 20 seconds, and stated that her client offered a profound apology to all those present for the distress caused during the ugly and unattractive incident.
Passing sentence, Judge Tony Baumgartner told Brown that his successful music career did not entitle him to any special treatment, noting that the repeated use of a glass bottle aimed at the head was plainly dangerous and carried the risk of delivering a more serious injury than was ultimately sustained.
