LONDON (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown avoided prison Monday for beating a music producer with a bottle of tequila at a London nightclub three years ago.
The 37-year-old man was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for one year.
He faced up to three years in prison after plead guilty to one count of affray in July for the attack on the dance floor of Tape, a private club in the chic Mayfair district in February 2023.
Video footage played in court showed Brown having to be pulled away from the victim, his former friend Abraham Diaw, after hitting him twice in the head with a bottle.
“The repeated use of a glass bottle in this manner, particularly aimed at the head, was clearly dangerous, it carried the risk of causing more serious injury than was ultimately sustained,” Judge Tony Baumgartner told Southwark Crown Court.
Despite the seriousness of the attack, Baumgartner said Brown was not eligible for prison time because he pleaded guilty and there were several mitigating circumstances, including stable employment and charitable work. The judge acknowledged Brown’s previous convictions, but said he had maintained a clean record in recent years.
Troubles with the law
Brown has faced repeated legal troubles since his felony conviction in the assault of his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, hours before the couple performed at the Grammys.
He was arrested in several US states following altercations, but either was not charged or prosecutors later dropped the charges against him. In 2019, he was arrested in Paris and questioned on suspicion of rape, but was released without charge.
In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon, a bottle.
Brown’s friend and vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, also pleaded guilty to affray and received a four-month suspended prison sentence.
Fighting is the use or threat of unlawful violence that causes a person to fear for their safety.
Brown apologized for the attack
Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said Brown played a leading role in the attack.
“Anyway, when you look at these images, it’s Mr. Brown who moves first,” Stonecliffe said.
Defense lawyer Sallie Bennett-Jenkins said Brown apologized to everyone at the club that night, although she stressed the attack lasted no more than 20 seconds.
“It’s an ugly and unattractive incident,” Bennett-Jenkins said. “This is something which would undoubtedly have caused distress to those present and for which Mr Brown… deeply apologizes to all present.”
Diaw was released from the hospital with head and knee injuries, Stonecliffe said.
Crowd salutes Brown outside court
Brown was cheered outside the courthouse by supporters from as far away as Italy and the Netherlands.
His face was covered by a black mask and black glasses and his bleached hair was largely hidden under a black cap. He wore a black leather jacket and a light-colored turtleneck.
He hugged one fan and appeared to sign an autograph for another as he moved among a group of photographers and spectators.
Not everyone was cheering for him. When he arrived at court in the morning, a lone voice could be heard shouting at him asking when he was going to learn that violence is not acceptable.
Brown left the UK after the brawl, but was arrested in May 2025 at a Manchester hotel after traveling to the city for a concert. He was released on bail of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million), which allowed him to tour Europe and North America over the past two summers.
Brown rose to fame as a teenager in 2005 and won his first Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2011 for “FAME.” He won his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” in 2025.
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