Chris Brown to be held without bail on charge related to nightclub attack
Chris Brown performs onstage during the Tycoon Music Festival at Little Caesars Arena on April 19, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage)
Grammy-winning hip-hop and R&B singer Chris Brown will be held in custody while facing charges that he beat a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.
The 36-year-old is facing one count of causing grievous bodily harm, a charge that could derail his upcoming international tour.
What did the judge say about Brown’s case?
What they're saying:
Judge Joanne Hirst rejected Brown's bail request after prosecutor Hannah Nicholls said that the crime was "extremely serious." She ordered him held in custody until his next hearing on June 13. That’s the same day he’s scheduled to perform in Germany.
Brown was flanked by court officers in the dock. His hair was bleached blonde and he wore sweatpants and a black T-shirt. He confirmed his name and birth date, and said that his address was the local Lowry Hotel, where he was arrested early Thursday and taken into custody.
His case was transferred to Southwark Crown Court in London, where he is expected to enter a plea to the charge.
The other side:
Defense attorney Grace Forbes argued that the American performer wasn't a flight risk and should be released.
Brown’s arrest
The backstory:
Brown was on tour in the U.K. in February 2023 when he launched an unprovoked attack on producer Abe Diaw, striking him several times with a bottle at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in London, Nicholls said. Brown then chased Diaw and punched and kicked him in an attack caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, she said.
Brown’s career
Brown, often called by his nickname Breezy, burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005 and has become a major hitmaker over the years with notable songs such as "Run It," "Kiss Kiss" and "Without You."
He won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for "F.A.M.E." and then earned his second gold trophy in the same category for "11:11 (Deluxe)" earlier this year.
The singer is due to launch an international tour next month with artists Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller, opening with a European leg on June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.