Latest news with #SouthwarkCrownCourt
Arab News
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty
LONDON: Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. Brown, 36, wearing a blue suit, white shirt and black-rimmed glasses, was arraigned in London's Southwark Crown Court on one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent. Brown's friend and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 39, who performs under the name 'Hoody Baby,' pleaded not guilty to the same charge. Prosecutors previously said Brown and Akinlolu assaulted producer Abe Diaw at a bar in the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023. Brown allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on Diaw and hit him several times with a bottle and then punched and kicked him. The attack was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, prosecutors said. Brown was originally charged with a single count of grievous bodily harm after his arrest in May, but prosecutors subsequently brought an indictment adding two counts: assault causing actual bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle. When a court clerk asked Brown how he pleaded to the grievous bodily harm count, he replied: 'Not guilty ma'am.' Brown did not enter pleas on the additional counts and was ordered to return to court July 11 to face those charges after wrapping up the European leg of his world tour. His trial was scheduled for Oct. 26, 2026. The singer of 'Go Crazy,' 'Run It,' and 'Kiss Kiss' was released last month on a 5 million-pound ($6.75 million) bail, which allowed him to start his 'Breezy Bowl XX' tour earlier this month. Following his release after almost a week in jail, Brown posted on Instagram: 'FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL.' Brown, who quickly rose to stardom as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for 'F.A.M.E.' and then earned his second in the same category for '11:11 (Deluxe)' earlier this year.
CBC
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty in U.K. nightclub assault case
Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. Wearing a blue suit, white shirt and black-rimmed glasses, Brown, 36, was arraigned in London's Southwark Crown Court on one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent. Brown's friend and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 39, who performs under the name Hoody Baby, pleaded not guilty to the same charge. Prosecutors previously said Brown and Akinlolu assaulted producer Abe Diaw at a bar in the Tape nightclub in London's swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023. Brown allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on Diaw and hit him several times with a bottle and then punched and kicked him. The attack was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, prosecutors said. Brown was originally charged with a single count of grievous bodily harm after his arrest in May, but prosecutors subsequently brought an indictment adding two counts: assault causing actual bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle. When a court clerk asked Brown how he pleaded to the grievous bodily harm count, he replied: "Not guilty, ma'am." Brown did not enter pleas on the additional counts and was ordered to return to court on July 11 to face those charges after wrapping up the European leg of his world tour. His trial was scheduled for Oct. 26, 2026. The singer of Go Crazy, Run It and Kiss Kiss was released last month on a 5 million-pound ($9.26 million Cdn) bail, which allowed him to start his Breezy Bowl XX tour earlier this month. Following his release after almost a week in jail, Brown posted on Instagram: "FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL." Brown, who quickly rose to stardom as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for F.A.M.E. and then earned his second in the same category for 11:11 (Deluxe) earlier this year. He is currently touring the U.K., playing this weekend in London with subsequent shows in Ireland, Scotland, France and Portugal. He returns to North America at the end of July to play Miami, before moving across the U.S. with a two-night stop in Toronto along the way.
BreakingNews.ie
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Chris Brown pleads not guilty to ‘bottle attack' charge
R&B singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm in an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub. The American musician, 36, is accused of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Abraham Diaw at the Tape venue, a private members' club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on February 19th, 2023. Advertisement Brown confirmed his name and date of birth before entering his plea, saying: 'Not guilty ma'am' during the plea and trial preparation hearing at Southwark Crown Court. His co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, who turned 39 on Friday, denied the same charge. Both defendants are further charged with assaulting Mr Diaw occasioning him actual bodily harm, with Brown also facing one count of having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place. They were not asked to enter pleas to those charges with a further court hearing set for July 11. Advertisement US national Omololu Akinlolu, 38, leaves Southwark Crown Court (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, defending Brown, told the court it has been difficult to discuss matters with her client while he is working. Around 20 people sat in the public gallery behind the dock for Friday's hearing, many of them fans of the singer. A date for a five to seven-day trial was set for October 26th, 2026. Brown had arrived at around 9am to a large group of photographers outside court, and walked in silence to the building's entrance. Advertisement The singer walked past a large group of photographers (Jonathan Brady/PA) The Go Crazy singer, who was able to continue with his scheduled international tour after he was freed on conditional bail last month, performed in Cardiff on Thursday night. He had to pay a £5 million security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions. Manchester Magistrates' Court heard last month that Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the Tape nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and then pursued to a separate area of the nightclub where he was punched and kicked repeatedly. Brown was arrested at Manchester's Lowry Hotel at 2am on May 15 by detectives from the Metropolitan Police. Advertisement He is said to have flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet in preparation for the UK tour dates. Brown was released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, on May 21st. Shortly after being released from prison, Brown posted an Instagram story referencing his upcoming tour. It said: 'FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL.' Advertisement
Asharq Al-Awsat
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Singer Chris Brown in London Court on Assault Case
American R&B singer Chris Brown, the former boyfriend of superstar Rihanna, was due to appear in court Friday in London on assault charges. Brown was freed from UK custody last month on £5 million ($6.7 million) bail after his arrest in the northwestern city of Manchester, AFP said. Under the terms of his bail, which would see him forfeit the £5 million guarantee if he failed to return for court proceedings, the Grammy-winning Brown, 36, was given the go-ahead to continue his scheduled international tour, which began on June 8 in Amsterdam. The star, who had a troubled relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna, is currently performing the UK leg of his tour, with his next date in London on Saturday. Concerts are also scheduled in France, Portugal and the US later in the year, before the tour wraps up in Memphis in mid-October. The star is charged with "grievous bodily harm with intent" in relation to an assault in which the victim was allegedly struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked. The alleged incident took place at a nightclub in Hanover Square in London on February 19, 2023 while Brown was touring in the UK. Police detained him in the early hours of May 13 at a five-star hotel in Manchester after he reportedly flew in by private jet. Judge Tony Baumgartner, at Southwark Crown Court in London, last month ordered that he could be freed on bail, and also stipulated that he should surrender his passport if he is not travelling. He is required to live at a specific address known to the court and is not permitted to visit the nightclub were the alleged assault took place or contact the alleged victim, Abraham Diah. Co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, a 38-year-old US national, has also been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent. Brown is known for mid-2000s hits such as "Kiss, Kiss". He rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame with his rich R&B voice and later rap, but his reputation has been tarnished by the allegations of abuse.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chris Brown pleads not guilty to ‘bottle attack' charge
R&B singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm in an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub. The American musician, 36, is accused of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Abraham Diaw at the Tape venue, a private members' club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on February 19 2023. Brown confirmed his name and date of birth before entering his plea, saying: 'Not guilty ma'am' during the plea and trial preparation hearing at Southwark Crown Court. His co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, who turned 39 on Friday, denied the same charge. Both defendants are further charged with assaulting Mr Diaw occasioning him actual bodily harm, with Brown also facing one count of having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place. They were not asked to enter pleas to those charges with a further court hearing set for July 11. Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC, defending Brown, told the court it has been difficult to discuss matters with her client while he is working. Around 20 people sat in the public gallery behind the dock for Friday's hearing, many of them fans of the singer. A date for a five to seven-day trial was set for October 26 2026. Brown had arrived at around 9am to a large group of photographers outside court, and walked in silence to the building's entrance. The Go Crazy singer, who was able to continue with his scheduled international tour after he was freed on conditional bail last month, performed in Cardiff on Thursday night. He had to pay a £5 million security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions. Manchester Magistrates' Court heard last month that Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the Tape nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and then pursued to a separate area of the nightclub where he was punched and kicked repeatedly. Brown was arrested at Manchester's Lowry Hotel at 2am on May 15 by detectives from the Metropolitan Police. He is said to have flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet in preparation for the UK tour dates. Brown was released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, on May 21. Shortly after being released from prison, Brown posted an Instagram story referencing his upcoming tour. It said: 'FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL.'
