Chris Brown spared an immediate prison sentence in the U.K.

UPDATE (11:50 AM): U.S. singer Chris Brown was spared an immediate prison sentence in Britain on Monday for attacking a music producer with a tequila bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.

Brown, 37, was given an eight-month suspended sentence at London's Southwark Crown Court over the attack on Abraham Diaw at the Tape nightclub in February 2023 that lasted around 20 seconds.

Diaw was hit twice in the head with a bottle, which was then swung twice more at him in what prosecutors described as "a vicious and unprovoked attack".

The R&B star and his vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu, 40, pleaded guilty to a charge of affray in July, having denied more serious charges of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm.

Judge Tony Baumgartner said, "This was serious, public violence. In your case, Brown, it involved the repeated use…of a bottle, including twice striking Diaw to his head."

But Baumgartner said he could suspend Brown's sentence for 12 months, meaning he will not go to prison unless he commits another offence in that period. Akinlolu was also spared an immediate jail sentence.

"Violence will not be accepted on the streets of London," Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah from the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. "Regardless of an individual's profile or status, we will pursue those responsible and work tirelessly to bring them before the courts."

Brown, winner of Grammy awards for best R&B album in 2011 and 2025, has previously admitted other violent offences in the US, having been charged with assaulting his then-partner, singer Rihanna, in 2009, with a photo of her bruised face making headlines around the world.

Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said Brown pleaded guilty to the 2009 assault of Rihanna and was sentenced to five years' probation. He also admitted a 2013 assault on a fan he was accused of punching when he asked for a photograph.

Brown remains hugely popular and has sold tens of millions of records worldwide, with dozens of fans queuing outside court from around 0700 GMT, about an hour before the building opened.

His lawyer Sallie Bennett-Jenkins said Brown was profoundly sorry for the incident and described him as "a dedicated, loving and loyal father to four children".

"This was an ugly and unattractive incident, we would be the first to accept," she added. "It was, however, an incident that was very short-lived."

Brown thanked the judge before leaving the dock and nodding towards about two dozen of his supporters in the public gallery.

Brown was arrested in May 2025 having returned to Britain for the first time since the attack and was initially denied bail, throwing his worldwide "Breezy Bowl XX" tour into doubt.

But Brown was eventually released after promising to pay a £5 million ($6.7 million) security fee, allowing the tour to go ahea.

LONDON (CBS, KYMA) - Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown is to be sentenced Monday over brawling at a London nightclub three years ago.

Brown, 37, pleaded guilty to a count of affray at London’s Southwark Crown Court in July for attacking a music producer with a bottle on the head.

Brown had denied attacking Abraham Diaw with a bottle at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023, but prosecutors said the fight was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people.

In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle.

Brown's friend and vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu also pleaded guilty to affray. He will be sentenced too.

Brown left the United Kingdom after the brawl but was arrested in May 2025 at a Manchester hotel after flying to the city for a concert.

Brown had been free on bail of five million pounds ($6.7 million), which allowed him to tour Europe and North America last summer. He was freed on bail again Friday, and will be sentenced Oct. 26 on the affray charge, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Brown, who rose to stardom as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for "F.A.M.E." He earned his second in the same category for "11:11 (Deluxe)" in 2025.

He has been in repeated legal trouble since his felony conviction in the 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, hours before the pair were due to perform at the Grammys.