Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty in London assault case

Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023

LONDON -- Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.

Brown, 36, pleaded not guilty in Southwark Crown Court to one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

Brown’s friend and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 38, who performs under the name “Hoody Baby,” pleaded not guilty to the same charge.

Prosecutors said Brown and Akinlolu assaulted producer Abe Diaw at a bar in the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023. Brown allegedly launched an unprovoked attack on Diaw and hit him several times with a bottle and then punched and kicked him.

The attack was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, prosecutors said.

Brown was released last month on 5 million-pound ($6.75 million) bail, which allowed him to start his world tour earlier this month.

Brown, who burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” and then earned his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” earlier this year.

His hits include songs such as “Run It,” “Kiss Kiss” and “Without You.”

His tour is due to kick off June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.