American singer Chris Brown has been handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, over an attack on music producer Abe Diaw at a London nightclub in February 2023.
Brown, 37, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to affray in July, according to a report by BBC News cited by Punch Newspapers.
His co-defendant and vocal coach, 40-year-old Omololu Akinlolu, also received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
Delivering his sentencing remarks, Judge Tony Baumgartner said Brown played a “leading role in this joint offending”, noting that he used a bottle as a weapon during the incident.
The court heard that Brown approached Diaw in the VIP area of Tape nightclub in the early hours of February 19, 2023, and struck him twice on the head with a tequila bottle before hitting him on the shoulder and attempting another blow.
The judge described the incident as brief but intense, warning that the repeated use of a glass bottle was dangerous and carried the risk of causing significantly more serious injuries.
Diaw required hospital treatment following the attack. His injuries included head trauma, musculoskeletal problems, tenderness around his cervical spine and abdomen, and reduced movement in his left knee. The judge said Brown’s conduct was more serious than Akinlolu’s because the singer initiated the physical violence.
He also noted that Brown had two previous convictions involving violence, dating to 2009 and 2013, although he described the convictions as old.
Other factors considered during sentencing included Brown’s compliance with bail conditions, his status as a father of four, his stable employment and his charitable activities. The court was also told that his pre-sentence report assessed his risk of reoffending as low.
