Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty in London nightclub assault case

Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty to a charge related to a violent assault on a music producer in a London nightclub last year.

The 36-year-old singer appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Friday (June 20), dressed in a blue suit and black-rimmed glasses, where he formally denied the allegation of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

Brown and fellow musician Omololu Akinlolu, 39—known by his stage name “Hoody Baby”—are accused of attacking music producer Abe Diaw at the Tape nightclub in Mayfair in February 2023.

Prosecutors said Brown initiated an unprovoked assault, striking Diaw multiple times with a bottle before continuing the attack with punches and kicks. The alleged incident was captured on the club’s surveillance cameras.

Initially charged with a single count of grievous bodily harm following his arrest in May, Brown now faces additional charges of assault causing actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon—specifically, the bottle used in the attack.

While he entered a not guilty plea to the grievous bodily harm charge, Brown has yet to respond to the new counts. 

He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 11, after completing the European leg of his world tour.

Brown’s trial is currently set for October 26, 2026.

The R&B star was released last month on £5 million bail, which enabled him to resume his "Breezy Bowl XX" world tour.

Following his release from custody, Brown shared a defiant message on Instagram: “FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL.”

Brown, who first gained fame in 2005 as a teenager, has earned two Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album—first for F.A.M.E. in 2011, and most recently for 11:11 earlier this year.

He continues to tour across the U.K., with upcoming performances in Ireland, Scotland, France, and Portugal, before returning to North America in late July.