In brief
Chris Brown was sentenced to eight months in prison with a 12‑month suspension after he hit music producer Abraham Diaw twice in the head with a glass bottle at a Mayfair nightclub. The court found the assault unduly violent and ordered the singer, who pleaded guilty to affray, to pay £1,500 in costs. Brown’s co‑defendant, vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu, received a four‑month suspended sentence. Judge Tony Baumgartner warned that the incident posed a serious risk to people in the packed club. Brown has since apologized to those present, and fans greeted him outside court after the sentencing.
US singer Chris Brown avoided jail after striking music producer Abraham Diaw twice in the head with a glass tequila bottle in a London nightclub, receiving an eight‑month prison sentence suspended for a year.
The incident took place at the private members’ club Tape in Mayfair on 19 February 2023. Brown and his vocal coach, rapper Omololu Akinlolu, both pleaded guilty to affray; the court also ordered them to pay £1,500 in costs.
Judge Tony Baumgartner described the use of the bottle as “plainly dangerous and noted the “intense” violence of the attack. He added that the repeated blows to the victim’s head carried the risk of more serious injury.
Brown’s co‑defendant, Akinlolu, received a four‑month suspended sentence; he was also cited as having “genuinely believed” that Brown was under attack when he joined the assault.
Diaw was taken to St Mary’s Hospital and was discharged with pain relief and a diagnosis of head injury and superficial knee damage. The court cited court‑recorded CCTV, showing Brown striking the victim four times—twice to the head—before Akinlolu punched him in the head.
The judge warned that such violence in a crowded nightclub is serious, risking harm to people near the victim. He also noted Brown’s deterrent profile, compliance with bail, and low risk of further offending, particularly given his responsibilities as a father of four.
Brown presented an apology to those present in the club, and after the sentencing he walked out of the glass dock clutching a coffee mug of his own name. Outside court the singer received cheers and fans signed his name on a stack of autographs. He posted a quick video from inside his car on Instagram, giving a thumbs‑up to followers.
