Chris Brown: R&B singer appears in court as he pleads not guilty over alleged nightclub bottle attack

The 36-year-old arrived at Southwark Crown Court on Friday morning (June 20) and avoided speaking to the large press pool that had gathered outside the court. Brown and co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, 38, appeared in court for a plea and trial preparation hearing, during which Brown pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The musician, who is currently on tour across Europe, is accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Abraham Diaw during an incident in February 2023. It was heard at Manchester Magistrates’ Court last month that Mr Diaw was struck repeatedly by a bottle at the Tape venue in Hanover Square in Mayfair in what has been described as an “unprovoked attack”. He was then allegedly chased to another section of the nightclub, where he was punched and kicked repeatedly.

Brown was arrested in Manchester’s Lowry hotel at 2am on May 15 in connection with the alleged attack. He is believed to have flown to Manchester on a private jet as part of preparations for his Breezy Bowl XX tour of the UK and Europe.

The ‘Under The Influence’ singer was held in custody at HMP Forest Bank in Salford, before being released on May 21 after posting a £5 million security fee as part of his bail agreement.

Brown kicked off the UK leg of his tour in Manchester on Sunday, June 15. He told the crowd at the city’s Co-op Live arena: "Thank you for coming and supporting me. And thank you to the jail. It was really nice."

He has since performed again in Manchester on Monday, June 16 and performed at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Thursday, 19. Brown is due to perform over the weekend at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before moving on to perform shows in Birmingham, Glasgow and returning to Manchester.