American R&B singer Chris Brown on Friday pleaded not guilty in a UK court to a charge stemming from an alleged London nightclub brawl in 2023, reported AFP.
Brown, 36, in a navy blue three-piece suit and tie and wearing glasses, stood in the dock as the charge was put to him, replying: "Not guilty, ma'am."
The singer, who is on £5 million ($6.7 million) bail, made no comment as he arrived earlier to find a large group of photographers gathered outside the central London court.
He spoke only during the hearing to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his plea to the charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.
He smiled and waved to fans in the public gallery as he left.
A five to seven-day long trial was fixed to start on October 26, 2026.
Currently on the UK leg of an international tour, Brown spent nearly a week in jail last month before being released on bail. Police arrested the star at a five-star hotel in the northwestern city of Manchester hours after reportedly flying in by private jet.
Under the terms of his bail, he will forfeit the £5 million guarantee if he fails to return for court proceedings.
Judge Tony Baumgartner gave him the green light to continue his scheduled tour, which began on June 8 in Amsterdam.
The singer, who had a troubled relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna, is next due to perform in London on Saturday ahead of dates in Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin and Glasgow.
The tour will continue in France and Portugal in early July before a string of concerts in the US, wrapping up in Memphis in the US in October.
Brown is charged in relation to an assault in which the victim was allegedly struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked.
The alleged incident took place at the exclusive private member's club Tape in Hanover Square in London on February 19, 2023 while Brown was touring in the UK.
Grammy winner
Other bail terms include that he should surrender his passport if he is not travelling.
He is also required to live at a specific address known to the court and is not permitted to visit the nightclub where the alleged assault took place or contact the alleged victim, Abraham Diah.
Shortly after being released from prison in May, Brown posted an Instagram story referencing his Breezybowl tour.
"From the cage to the stage. Breezybowl," he posted. Akinlolu also entered a not guilty plea to the same charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. Both men are also jointly charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
They will enter pleas to that charge on July 11, the court was told. Brown also faces a third charge of having an offensive weapon, a bottle, in public.
The Grammy-winning singer is known for mid-2000s hits such as Kiss, Kiss.
He rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame with his rich R&B voice and later rap.
'History of Violence'
In January, Brown filed a $500 million lawsuit against Warner Bros Discovery and producers of the documentary Chris Brown: A History of Violence, accusing them of defamation and knowingly spreading false information about him.
Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the lawsuit targetted Warner Bros Discovery and Ample Entertainment, the production company behind the documentary that aired in October. The film chronicled Brown's history of legal troubles and abuse allegations, including a claim by a woman who alleged the singer drugged and assaulted her during a 2020 yacht party reportedly hosted by music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.
According to Rolling Stone, Brown claims the documentary presented him as a "serial rapist and sexual abuser," despite no sex-related convictions and evidence that the allegations in question had been discredited. The suit alleges the producers acted "in pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads and dollars," ignoring journalistic standards and promoting "false information" despite being provided proof to the contrary.
"To put it simply, this case is about the media putting their own profits over the truth," the filing reads. It further asserts that the Jane Doe referenced in the film had previously been "discredited" and accused of being an "aggressor" in past incidents.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros Discovery responded to the lawsuit, saying: "We stand behind the production and will vigorously defend ourselves against this lawsuit."
While the documentary revisits many of these incidents, the lawsuit argues it goes beyond public record and ventures into "malicious and defamatory territory."
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