Chris Brown Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Charge in London, Set for 2026 Trial
Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge over an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub two years ago. The singer appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday, just hours after playing a show in Cardiff, Wales.
According to the BBC, Brown denied the charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm relating to a February 2023 incident in which he allegedly attacked music producer Abraham Diaw at a Mayfair club. Two new charges related to the alleged attack – assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon – were added ahead of the hearing on Friday, but the judge adjourned arraignment on those until July 11. He is set to stand trial on Oct. 26, 2026.
Brown is currently on tour in the U.K. and was arrested in Manchester last month after arriving for his tour. He was held in custody for nearly a week before being released after paying a £5 million ($6.4 million) fee to ensure that he would show up at court. Brown must also live at a U.K. address while awaiting trial and has handed over his passport to the police. However, he has been allowed to travel outside of the U.K. for the tour dates he already had scheduled.
During his concert in Manchester on Sunday, Brown made mention of his arrest and time behind bars, saying, “Thank you to the jail. It was really nice.” The singer is set to perform in London this weekend at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In addition to Brown, Omolulu Akinlolu, who performs under the name HoodyBaby, also pleaded not guilty to the grievous bodily harm charge.
In other legal news, Variety reports that Chris Brown has recently filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. for $500 million over sexual assault allegations in a docuseries. The lawsuit alleges that Warner Bros. defamed Brown by airing the allegations without proper investigation or evidence.
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