𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒔 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒏'𝒔 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒍𝒖𝒃

American singer Chris Brown will not go to prison for a violent attack in a London nightclub, a court ruled on Monday.

A judge at Southwark Crown Court gave Brown an eight-month jail term but suspended it for 12 months. This means he will only go to prison if he commits another offence within the next year.

The incident happened in the early hours of February 19, 2023, at Tape, a private members club in Mayfair, London. Brown hit music producer Abraham "Abe" Diaw on the head twice with a tequila bottle. Mr Diaw was taken to hospital for treatment.

Brown did not act alone. His vocal coach, rapper Omololu Akinlolu, joined in the attack. He also admitted his role and was given a four-month suspended sentence. Both men were ordered to pay £1,500 in costs.

The judge, Tony Baumgartner, said what Brown did was dangerous. He described the attack as intense and said Mr Diaw could have been badly injured.

" Hitting someone with a glass bottle was plainly dangerous," the judge said. He added that the violence was serious and put everyone in the crowded club at risk.

The judge made it clear that fame did not matter in the case.

"Your success and status do not entitle you to special treatment. The law applies equally to everyone," he told Brown.

He also said the attack was not planned but was still a serious case of violence.

So why did Brown avoid jail? The judge said there were reasons to show leniency. Brown admitted what he did, obeyed his bail conditions, and is a father to children who would suffer if he was jailed. The court also said he is unlikely to offend again.

The court watched CCTV footage of the attack. The clips showed the whole incident lasted less than 20 seconds. In that short time, Brown swung the bottle four times. Two hits landed on Mr Diaw's head and one on his shoulder.

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe described the bottle as a heavy, square-shaped tequila bottle. She said Brown approached Mr Diaw at about 3 a.m. on the dance floor in a club packed with people.

The Crown Prosecution Service said after the first attack, Brown and Akinlolu continued as Mr Diaw tried to run away. Akinlolu punched him in the head and Mr Diaw was kicked while sitting helplessly on the floor.

Brown's lawyer, Sallie Bennett-Jenkins, described the attack as ugly. She said it was brief, lasting between 17 and 20 seconds, and that Brown is deeply sorry to everyone who was in the club that night.

She told the court Brown is a loving father of four children and has lived a clean life since his last conviction in 2013. She also said the victim did not suffer broken bones, cuts or serious injuries.

Akinlolu's lawyer, Laurie-Anne Power, said her client thought Brown was being attacked and got involved because he sees Brown as a brother.

Both men pleaded guilty to affray in July. Affray is an offence where a person uses or threatens violence in a way that makes others fear for their safety.

Brown was due to face more serious charges including assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon. He denied those charges and they were later dropped after he admitted affray.