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Chris Brown at Southwark Crown Court
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Key Takeaways:
- The reported victim, music producer Abe Diaw, claims Brown attacked him with a bottle during the alleged altercation.
- Brown remains free on a £5 million bond and will return to court in July.
- The trial is set to begin in October 2026.
On Friday (June 20), Chris Brown appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court and pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. The “Residuals” singer’s charge stems from an alleged 2023 nightclub incident in which he was accused of attacking a music producer with a bottle.
“Not guilty, ma’am,” Brown, dressed in a navy-blue suit, told the court clerk when asked for his plea, according to NBC News. He also faces two additional charges — one count of assault and one of possessing an offensive weapon — and will enter pleas for those at his next hearing on July 11.
Until then, Brown remains free, with his trial set to begin on Oct. 26, 2026.
Brown was initially taken into U.K. police custody in May over the alleged altercation. District Judge Joanne Hirst originally ruled that the charges were “too serious” to grant bail, but the 11:11 artist was ultimately released later that month on a hefty £5 million bond (roughly $6.7 million). He paid £4 million upfront, then another £1 million in the days that followed.
As part of the conditions, Brown had to surrender his passport, though he can temporarily regain it whenever he travels for his “Breezy Bowl XX Stadium World Tour.” In fact, the singer’s court hearing on Friday took place the morning after he played a packed show at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Thursday (June 19).
Brown’s tour resumes on Saturday (June 21) in London and is scheduled to run through October. Bryson Tiller, Jhené Aiko, and Summer Walker are expected to join him on select dates along the way.
