Chris Brown avoids jail over UK nightclub brawl

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—American R&B singer Chris Brown avoided jail when sentenced by a UK court Monday after pleading guilty to a public order offence during a 2023 brawl at a London nightclub. The former boyfriend of music sensation Rihanna was handed an eight-month jail sentence suspended for a year -- meaning he will not be imprisoned unless he commits another offence during the period. Brown, 37, who was wearing a black face mask and black cap when he arrived Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, had admitted to affray during an appearance in July. "Violence of this kind in a crowded nightclub is serious. It creates an obvious risk, not merely to the person against whom it is directed, but also to others," judge Tony Baumgartner said, handing down the sentence. Prosecutors had accused him and co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, also a US national, of carrying out "a vicious and unprovoked attack" in a crowded nightclub "where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim's head twice". The guilty plea avoided a trial on several other charges, including attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a bottle. Brown, who has sold tens of millions of records worldwide, had earlier denied those charges. All of the allegations relate to an incident at Tape, a private members' club in central London, on February 19, 2023, while Brown was touring the UK. The victim was struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked. The singer is known for mid-2000s hits such as "Kiss, Kiss", as well as a litany of legal troubles including a felony conviction for assaulting Rihanna in 2009. Brown rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame with his rich R&B voice before turning to rap. He was convicted of having beaten then-girlfriend Rihanna before the 2009 Grammy Awards, forcing the pop star to miss the annual gala. In 2012, Brown was involved in an altercation at a New York nightclub with members of hip hop star Drake's entourage, during which French basketball player Tony Parker suffered an eye injury after being hit by a thrown glass bottle. Two years later, Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting a fan in Washington. Akinlolu, 40 also pleaded guilty to affray over the London incident. He was sentenced to four months' imprisonment suspended for a year.