Chris Brown pleads not guilty to attempting to cause GBH over alleged bottle attack at London nightclub
20 June 2025, 10:14 | Updated: 20 June 2025, 10:45
R&B singer Chris Brown has pleaded not guilty at Southwark Crown Court to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The American musician, 36, is accused of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm with intent to Abraham Diaw at the Tape venue in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on February 19 2023.
His co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, denied the same charge in a plea and trial preparation hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday morning.
Both defendants are further charged with assaulting Mr Diaw occasioning him actual bodily harm, with Brown also facing one count of having an offensive weapon - a bottle - in a public place.
They were not asked to enter pleas to those charges with a further court hearing set for July 11.
Earlier today, the R&B singer arrived at court to enter a plea after he was charged over an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub.
The American musician, wearing a dark blue suit, walked towards the entrance of Southwark Crown Court in silence past a large group of photographers.
The Go Crazy singer, who was able to continue his international tour after he was freed on conditional bail last month, performed in Cardiff on Thursday night.
He had to pay a £5 million security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions.
Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard last month that Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and was then pursued to a separate area of the venue where he was punched and kicked repeatedly.
Brown was arrested at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel at 2am on May 15 this year by detectives from the Metropolitan Police.
He is said to have flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet in preparation for the UK tour dates.
He was released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, on May 21.
Shortly after being released from prison, the musician posted an Instagram story referencing his upcoming tour.
It said: “FROM THE CAGE TO THE STAGE!!! BREEZYBOWL.”
