Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown was granted release on Sh890 million bail yesterday while facing charges that he allegedly beat and seriously injured a music producer with a bottle at a London nightclub in 2023.
The London judge’s decision to grant bail ensures that Brown will be able to proceed with his world tour next month, which had been in jeopardy following a decision by a district judge in Manchester to place him in custody after he was charged with grievous bodily harm with intent.
According to Eyewitness News, Judge Tony Baumgartner ruled that Brown could continue with his tour, including several U.K. dates, but required him to pay the bail as a guarantee that he would appear in court.
Brown, who was not present at the hearing, was released later in the afternoon from a jail in Salford, near Manchester, where he had been detained after his arrest at a hotel last week.
Originally, Brown was scheduled to return to court on June 13. If he had remained in custody, he would have missed the first two nights of his European tour, which is set to begin next month.
The 36-year-old singer is accused of launching an unprovoked attack on producer Abe Diaw at the Tape nightclub in the upscale Mayfair area of London in February 2023, while Brown was on his previous tour.
This is not the first time that the “Without You” singer has been charged with physical assault; the 2009 domestic violence incident involving Rihanna remains Brown’s most notorious legal issue.
In February 2009, Chris Brown and then-girlfriend Rihanna got into an argument that escalated into physical violence, with Brown assaulting Rihanna.
She sustained visible facial injuries and was hospitalised as a result of the attack. On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats.
Later that year, on June 22, he pleaded guilty to the felony charge and accepted a plea deal.
Over time, numerous other allegations have been levelled against him. For instance, in July 2024, four individuals who attended one of his concerts asserted that Brown and members of his group “viciously and gravely assaulted” them behind the scenes after the performance.
These men subsequently initiated a $50 million legal action against both Brown and Live Nation. No comments were received from representatives for Brown, Live Nation, or the entourage members regarding these claims.
Subsequently, a documentary released later that year, titled Chris Brown- A History of Violence and broadcast on ID, featured several women discussing alleged mistreatment by Brown.
One woman, identified as Jane Doe, alleged that Brown sexually assaulted her in 2020 aboard Sean “Diddy” Combs’ yacht. Brown’s legal representatives vehemently refuted these accusations.
Also facing charges in the assault is Omololu Akinlolu, 38, an American musician and Brown’s friend, who performs as “Hoody Baby.”
Neither Brown nor Akinlolu has yet entered a plea, and they are both expected back in court on June 20.
Brown, who burst onto the music scene as a teenager in 2005, snagged his first Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2011 with “F.A.M.E.”
He followed that up by earning his second Grammy in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” just this year.
His popular tracks include classics like “Run It” and “Kiss Kiss.” His tour will kick off in Amsterdam on June 8, and North American performances are slated for July.