Chris Brown pleads guilty to affray over 2023 London nightclub bottle attack
The US singer entered the plea at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, with more serious assault charges dropped. Sentencing is set for 26 October.
The plea
On Friday, 24 July 2026, US singer Chris Brown appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London and pleaded guilty to a single count of affray. The 37-year-old Grammy winner spoke only to confirm his name and enter the plea during a hearing that, according to the BBC, took less than five minutes. Standing alongside him in the dock was co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, 40, a rapper and vocal coach who performs under the name Hoody Baby. Akinlolu also admitted the affray charge. Both men accepted that they had “used or threatened unlawful violence towards another” in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their personal safety.
The 2023 nightclub altercation
The charge relates to an incident in February 2023 at Tape nightclub in Mayfair, an upscale area of central London. The victim was music producer Abraham Diaw. Brown was initially accused of striking Diaw with a bottle, and he faced a separate charge of possessing an offensive weapon, a tequila bottle, according to reports, but that count was later dropped. The affray statute in England and Wales covers public order offences where a defendant’s conduct would cause a hypothetical bystander to fear for their own safety, even if no one was physically injured.
- Altercation at Tape nightclub in Mayfair, London, involving music producer Abraham Diaw.
- Chris Brown arrested and held in custody for one week.
- Brown and co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu plead guilty to affray at Southwark Crown Court.
- Sentencing hearing scheduled before Judge Tony Baumgartner.
Charges abandoned
Prosecutor Heidi Stonecliffe informed the court that more serious allegations would not be pursued. Brown and Akinlolu had denied charges of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm (GBH) and a lesser count of assault causing actual bodily harm. Stonecliffe said those charges would not proceed to trial, leaving affray as the only conviction. The decision means Brown avoids the risk of a longer prison term that a GBH conviction could carry.
Bail, tour and a jail joke
Brown was arrested in May 2025 in connection with the case and spent a week in custody. He was released after posting bail set at £5 million (approximately €6 million). The bail terms permitted him to continue a world tour, on condition that he surrendered his passport to authorities in each country he visited. During a concert in Manchester last year, Brown addressed the audience directly.
Thank you for coming and supporting me. And thank you to the jail. It was really nice.
Outside Southwark Crown Court on Friday, fans held signs of support, and one shouted “I love you Chris” as he walked by, the PA news agency reported.
Sentencing in October
Judge Tony Baumgartner scheduled the sentencing hearing for 26 October 2026. Affray carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment in the UK. Brown has a prior criminal record: he served time in a Los Angeles jail for a probation violation after pleading guilty to felony assault of his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna. The court will determine his sentence later this year.
