Chris Brown, a Grammy-winning singer, entered a not guilty plea on Friday in relation to a charge stemming from a severe altercation involving a music producer at a London nightclub in 2023.
Brown, 36, pleaded not guilty in Southwark Crown Court to one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
Brown’s friend and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who performs under the name “Hoody Baby,” pleaded not guilty to the same charge.
According to prosecutors, Brown and Akinlolu were accused of assaulting producer Abe Diaw at Tape nightclub in the fashionable Mayfair area in February 2023. Allegedly, Brown initiated an unprovoked attack on Diaw, striking him multiple times with a bottle before physically assaulting him.
The attack was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, prosecutors said.
Brown was released last month on 5 million-pound ($6.75 million) bail, which allowed him to start his world tour earlier this month.
Brown, who rose to fame as a teenage artist in 2005, secured his first Grammy for best R&B album with “F.A.M.E.” in 2011 and recently added another to his collection in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” earlier this year.
His hits include songs such as “Run It,” “Kiss Kiss” and “Without You.”
His tour is due to kick off June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.
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