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Chris Brown walked into Southwark Crown Court on Friday and changed everything with two words: guilty plea.
The 37-year-old Grammy winner admitted to affray charges stemming from a February 2023 incident at Tape nightclub in London’s Mayfair district, where he struck music producer Abraham Diaw over the head with a bottle during a crowded altercation.
His co-defendant, vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu, also pleaded guilty to the same charge, and both men abandoned their previous denials of more serious assault allegations.
The prosecution had painted a brutal picture of what went down that night. Crown Prosecution Service senior prosecutor Claire Campbell described it as “a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim’s head twice.”
Surveillance footage captured the entire confrontation in front of a packed venue full of witnesses.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped the heavier charges: assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, and possession of an offensive weapon.
Brown had fled the UK after the incident but was arrested in May 2025 at a Manchester hotel while preparing for his tour.
He’d been released on a $6.7 million bail that allowed him to perform across Europe and North America last summer.
On Friday, he walked out of court again on bail, this time wearing a tan suit and St. Louis Cardinals cap, signing autographs for supporters gathered outside.
The affray charge carries a maximum three-year prison sentence, and according to Reuters, sentencing is scheduled for October 26, 2026.
Brown’s legal troubles stretch back years, including his 2009 felony conviction for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna hours before they were set to perform at the Grammys.
Despite that history, he’s maintained a successful music career, winning his first Grammy in 2011 for F.A.M.E. and his second in 2025 for 11:11 (Deluxe).
His previous London court appearances have drawn significant media attention and fan support.
