American R&B singer Chris Brown, the former boyfriend of pop superstar Rihanna, is scheduled to appear in a UK court on Friday after being arrested and charged in connection with an alleged assault at a London nightclub in 2023, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Brown, 36, renowned for early hits such as “Kiss, Kiss”, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday at a hotel in Manchester, police said. He remains in custody and is expected in court in the northwestern city at 10:00 am (0900 GMT) on Friday.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement that Brown was charged with “grievous bodily harm with intent” over an alleged attack that occurred on February 19, 2023, at a venue in Hanover Square, London.
According to The Sun, the incident involved an alleged bottle attack on music producer Abe Diaw at Tape nightclub in Mayfair, one of London’s most exclusive districts. Brown was reportedly touring the UK at the time.
The singer reportedly arrived in Manchester by private jet on Wednesday afternoon and was detained at the five-star Lowry Hotel later that night.
Brown, who has sold tens of millions of records worldwide, is set to begin a world tour next month, with UK performances scheduled for June and July.
A History of Violence
A two-time Grammy winner, Brown first gained fame in the early 2000s with his smooth R&B vocals and crossover into pop and rap. However, his career has long been overshadowed by a string of legal troubles and allegations of violence.
He was convicted in 2009 of assaulting Rihanna, then his girlfriend, on the night before the Grammy Awards, forcing the singer to miss the ceremony. The conviction marked a turning point in public perception of Brown.
In 2012, Brown was involved in a brawl at a New York nightclub with members of Drake’s entourage, an altercation that resulted in French basketball star Tony Parker suffering an eye injury from a thrown glass bottle.
By 2014, he had pleaded guilty to assaulting a fan in Washington, and in 2016, he was arrested after a woman claimed he pointed a gun at her. Earlier that year, he was also accused of battery by another woman in Las Vegas.
Brown was previously accused of rape in Paris in a high-profile case involving a luxury hotel, but he denied the allegation and was not charged.
