Vocal coach pleads guilty; both men face up to three years
Musician Chris Brown pleaded guilty Friday to a single charge of affray, or threatening violence, at a court in London, United Press International reported. Brown, 37, had originally faced a more serious charge of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm, which he denied in July, but accepted the downgraded offense in a deal that also saw his vocal coach plead guilty.
Brown’s vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, also pleaded guilty to affray in exchange for having the more severe charge dropped, prosecutors said. The pair would have gone to trial in October had the agreement not been reached, according to UPI. Each man faces up to three years in prison for the affray charge.
The incident took place at the private Tape club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, after Brown performed at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, prosecutors said. Claire Campbell, the crown prosecutor at Crown Prosecution Service London South, said Brown struck music producer Abraham Diaw twice over the head with a bottle before Akinlolu joined in, punching Diaw in the head. Diaw was treated at a hospital for head and knee injuries.
Campbell described the attack as “vicious and unprovoked,” according to UPI. “This kind of violence is entirely unacceptable, and the Crown Prosecution Service will work tirelessly — with the police and partners across the criminal justice system — to pursue cases like this and prove that no one is above the law,” she said.