Chris Brown appears at London court in ‘bottle attack’ case
By Tristan Kirk, Press Association Courts Editor
R&B singer Chris Brown has appeared before a judge for a hearing ahead of his trial for an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub in 2023.
The 36-year-old is due to face a jury trial on October 26th over an allegation he attacked a former friend at the Tape private members’ club in Mayfair.
On Wednesday, Brown returned to Southwark Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing in front of Judge Tony Baumgartner.
Lawyers in the case updated the judge on preparations for the trial during the eight-minute hearing before Judge Baumgartner reconfirmed Brown’s conditions of release on bail.
At earlier hearings, Brown was ordered to pay a £5 million security fee as part of his bail conditions, which also allowed him to go on a world tour as long as he surrendered his passport on arrival in each country.
Brown, wearing a white jacket over a black shirt and smart grey trousers, was flanked by security guards as he arrived at court on Wednesday morning.
Security guards manned the doors of the courtroom while members of Brown’s entourage sat in the front row of the public gallery.
The star waved to a collection of supporters in the public gallery as he was whisked out of court at the end of the hearing.
Brown has already pleaded not guilty – in June last year – to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Abraham Diaw at the Tape venue, a private members’ club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on February 19th, 2023.
He has also denied having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place, as well as a charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
Brown is charged alongside his vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, 39, who has also denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
It is said Mr Diaw was struck several times with a bottle before being kicked and punched several times after encountering Brown and his entourage at the venue’s Dirty Martini club night.
Both defendants, who sat side by side in the dock, are due to appear again in court on April 26 for a further pre-trial hearing.
