US singer Chris Brown pleads guilty to affray, assault charges to be dropped

LONDON: United States singer Chris Brown on Friday (Jul 24) pleaded guilty to a charge of affray relating to an alleged attack on a music producer in a London nightclub three years ago, with prosecutors saying they would not proceed with more serious assault charges.Brown, 37, and his co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, 40, stood in the dock at London's Southwark Crown Court and spoke only to confirm their names and their guilty pleas over the incident with Abraham Diaw in London's Tape nightclub in February 2023.The pair had been charged with more serious offences of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and a less serious charge of assault causing actual bodily harm, which the pair had denied and were due to go to trial in October.But after Brown and Akinlolu pleaded guilty to the charge of affray, prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe said the other charges would not proceed to trial. Brown and Akinlolu will be sentenced at the same court on Oct 26.Prosecutors had alleged Brown launched an "unprovoked attack" on Diaw with a tequila bottle, after he was arrested in May 2025 having returned to Britain for the first time since the incident.Brown was initially denied bail, throwing his worldwide Breezy Bowl XX tour into doubt, before he was released after promising to pay a £5 million (US$6.66 million) security fee.The singer left court to cheers from fans chanting "Breezy! Breezy!" before signing autographs.