Chris Brown Free to Play World Tour After Not Guilty Plea – The New York Times
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US Singer Chris Brown Pleads Not Guilty In UK Assault Case
Chris Brown pleads not guilty to charge stemming from alleged London nightclub brawl in 2023. Brown, 36, was held in custody for a nearly a week in May after he was arrested in the northwestern city of Manchester. He is on GBP5 million ($6.7 million) bail and given the go-ahead to continue his scheduled international tour which began on June 8 in Amsterdam. The Grammy-winning singer is known for mid-2000s hits such as “Kiss, Kiss” but his reputation has been tarnished by the allegations of abuse and domestic violence. He also faces a third charge of having an offensive weapon, a bottle, in public.
Brown, 36, wearing a dark suit and tie as well as glasses, stood in the dock in London as the charge was put to him, replying: “Not guilty, ma’am.”
The singer, who is on GBP5 million ($6.7 million) bail, waved to people in the public gallery as he left, following his plea to allegedly attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
A five to seven-day long trial was scheduled to start on October 26, 2026.
The singer was held in custody for a nearly a week in May after he was arrested in the northwestern city of Manchester. He was later released on bail.
Under the terms of his bail, he will forfeit the GBP5 million guarantee if he fails to return for court proceedings.
He was also 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 on the UK leg of his tour, with his next date in London on Saturday.
Brown is charged with attempting to cause 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.
Other bail terms include that he should surrender his passport if he is not travelling.
He is also 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.
He appeared in the dock with co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, a US national, with whom he is jointly charged.
Akinlolu also entered a not guilty plea to the same charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
Both men are also jointly charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
They will enter pleas to that charge on July 11, the court was told.
Brown also faces a third charge of having an offensive weapon, a bottle, in public.
The Grammy-winning singer 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.
He also are also scheduled to perform in France, Portugal and the US later in the year, before the tour wraps up in Memphis in mid-October.
US singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty to attempting to cause GBH
US R&B star was arrested at a hotel in Manchester last month. He is accused of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Abraham Diaw at a London nightclub called Tape in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on 19 February 2023. The 36-year-old said he had gone “from the cage to the stage” after he was released on bail in time for the tour. He confirmed his name and date of birth at Southwark Crown Court on Friday before entering his plea.
The US R&B star was arrested at a hotel in Manchester by Metropolitan Police detectives last month, after the singer flew to the city by private jet in preparation for his world tour.
The 36-year-old said he had gone “from the cage to the stage” after he was released on bail in time for the tour.
Image: Chris Brown arrives at Southwark Crown Court. Pic: PA
The musician had been remanded in custody following an initial hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court but was freed ahead of his court appearance after paying a £5m security fee to the court.
Brown is accused of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Abraham Diaw at a London nightclub called Tape in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on 19 February 2023.
He confirmed his name and date of birth at Southwark Crown Court on Friday before entering his plea, saying: “Not guilty ma’am.”
His co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, 39, who performs under the name Hoody Baby, pleaded not guilty to 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 11 July.
Last month, Manchester Magistrates Court heard Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, before being pursued to a separate area of the venue, where he was punched and kicked repeatedly.
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Around 20 people sat in the public gallery behind the dock for the hearing, many of them fans of Brown.
The singer arrived at around 9am to a large group of photographers outside court and walked to the building’s entrance in silence.
A trial date has been set for 26 October 2026.
Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty in London nightclub assault case
Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer in a London nightclub in 2023. 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. His friend and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 39, who performs under the name “Hoody Baby,” pleaded not not guilty to the same charge. Brown was originally charged with a single count of GBH after his arrest in May, but prosecutors subsequently brought an indictment adding two counts.
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.
R&B singer Chris Brown arrives at Southwark Crown Court to attend a plea hearing in London, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Frank Augstein | AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
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 $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.
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.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Chris Brown pleads not guilty to alleged bottle attack at London nightclub
Chris Brown pleads not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) The 36-year-old singer is accused of assaulting the music producer Abraham Diaw at the Tape nightclub in Mayfair in February 2023. Brown also faces charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and having an offensive weapon in the form of a tequila bottle relating to the same incident. The Beautiful People hitmaker will return to court on July 11 to enter pleas to those charges before facing trial on October 26, 2026.
The 36-year-old singer is accused of assaulting the music producer Abraham Diaw at the Tape nightclub in Mayfair in February 2023 in an incident that has been described as “unprovoked” by prosecutors.
Brown also faces charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and having an offensive weapon in the form of a tequila bottle relating to the same incident and both charges were added to his indictment ahead of Friday morning’s (20.06.25) hearing at Southwark Crown Court – which came just hours after he had performed at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium as part of his Breezy Bowl XX World Tour.
The Beautiful People hitmaker will return to court on July 11 to enter pleas to those charges before facing trial on October 26, 2026.
Brown confirmed his name and date of birth at the hearing before entering his plea, stating: “Not guilty ma’am.”
The music star’s co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu – an American national who performs under the name HoodyBaby – also entered a not guilty plea to the charge of grievous bodily harm.
Brown was arrested in Manchester last month after his arrival in the UK to prepare for a series of European dates on his world tour .
The R+B star was held in custody for nearly a week before he was released after agreeing to pay a £5 million security fee to the court.
The security fee is a financial guarantee to ensure he returns to court and Brown could be asked to forfeit the money should he breach his bail conditions.
Judge Tony Baumgartner confirmed that the singer would be allowed to continue his world tour and the UK leg started last weekend.
During his gig in Manchester last Sunday (15.06.25), Brown thanked fans “for coming and supporting me”.
The Go Crazy singer quipped: “And thank you to the jail. It was really nice.”
Brown’s tour – which marks the 20th anniversary of his eponymous debut album – continues with two gigs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this weekend and his next court hearing will take place once the European dates are complete.
Chris Brown pleads not guilty over bottle attack in London nightclub
Chris Brown appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday. He was accused of causing grievous bodily harm to producer Abraham Diaw. The 36-year-old appeared alongside Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who also denied the same charge. A date for a trial lasting five to seven days has been set for October 26, 2026. Brown is currently on his international tour, with UK tour dates taking place just before this plea hearing. He is expected to return to the stage on June 21 to continue his tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Brown was released from prison last month after a second bail application was successful, having previously been detained and charged over the alleged 2023 attack. The Kiss Kiss singer performed in Cardiff on Thursday night and performed in Manchester on Friday night. He has been released on conditional bail and is due to appear in court on October 26. Brown’s UK and Ireland tour dates are as follows: June 15 Manchester – Co-op Live June 16 Manchester – Co-Op Live June 19 Cardiff – Principality Stadium June 21 London – Tottenham Hotsur Stadium June 22 London – Wembley. June 26 Birmingham – Villa Park June 28 Dublin – Marlay Park.
Singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty in court after being accused of hitting a producer ‘several times’ with a bottle.
The R&B star was accused of causing grievous bodily harm to producer Abraham Diaw after an alleged bottle attack in the London nightclub, Tape, in February 2023.
Diaw was standing at the bar when he was allegedly struck several times with a bottle and was then pursued to a different part of the venue, where he was punched and kicked.
Brown arrived at Southwark Crown Court in London at 9am, and it was later announced that he had pleaded not guilty to the alleged attack.
He confirmed his name and date of birth before telling the court his plea was: ‘Not guilty ma’am.’
A date for a trial lasting five to seven days has been set for October 26, 2026.
Chris Brown has arrived at court in London (Picture: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Brown was seen wearing a navy three-piece suit (Picture: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Brown and Omololu Akinlolu were sketched by the court artist (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)
The 36-year-old appeared alongside Omololu Akinlolu, 38, his co-defendant, who also denied the same charge.
Both Akinlolu and Brown have been charged with assault and occasioning actual bodily harm. Brown is additionally facing one count of having an offensive weapon (the bottle) in a public place.
The pleas for these charges were not heard at this court date, with a further hearing scheduled for July 11.
The Kiss Kiss singer is currently on his international tour, with UK tour dates taking place just before this plea hearing.
He was freed on a conditional bail last month and performed in Cardiff on Thursday night.
Chris Brown’s UK and Ireland dates June 15 Manchester – Co-op Live June 16 Manchester – Co-op Live June 19 Cardiff – Principality Stadium June 21 London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium June 22 London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium June 24 Manchester – Co-op Live June 26 Birmingham – Villa Park June 28 Dublin – Marlay Park July 1 Glasgow – Hampden Park National Stadium July 3 Manchester – Co-op Live
He was released from prison last month after a second bail application was successful, having previously been detained and charged over the alleged 2023 attack.
Brown was staying at the five-star Lowry Hotel when police came to arrest him on May 15.
A week later, on May 21, Southwark Crown Court heard that he had been released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, under bail conditions and ordered to pay a security fee of £5 million guaranteeing his return.
The sum fee is a financial guarantee ensuring a defendant returns to court, which may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions.
Brown is set to perform at London Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday and Sunday (Picture: CARLOS JASSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Brown looked down as he arrived (Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
The singer is in the UK for his tour (Picture: Scott Legato/Getty Images)
While in Manchester last weekend, the artist made reference to his upcoming court date.
‘I just want to tell you all, I love you all to death, I am so thankful that I could come out here tonight,’ he told the crowd.
‘Thank you all for having me and supporting me, and thank you to the jail, y’all was really nice,’ he said at the Breezy Bowl XX tour to the Co-op Live Arena on Sunday, June 15.
He is expected to return to the stage on June 21 to continue his tour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
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