US singer Chris Brown spared jail for UK nightclub attack

US singer Chris Brown was spared an immediate prison sentence in Britain on Monday for attacking a music producer with a tequila bottle in a London nightclub in 2023, with his fans cheering as the musician walked free from court. Brown, 37, was given an eight-month suspended sentence at London’s Southwark Crown Court over the attack on Abraham Diawat the Tape nightclub in February 2023 that lasted around 20 seconds. Diaw was hit twice in the head with a bottle, which was then swung twice more at him in what prosecutors described as “a vicious and unprovoked attack”. The R&B star and his vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu, 40, pleaded guilty to a charge of affray in July, having denied more serious charges of attempting to inflict grievous bodily ​harmand assault causing actual bodily harm. NO SPECIAL TREATMENT Judge Tony Baumgartner said: “This was serious, public violence. In your case, Brown, it involved the repeated use …of a bottle, including twice striking Diaw to his head.” The judge told Brown: “Your fame, commercial success and professional standing do not entitle you to special treatment, the law applies equally to everyone.” But Baumgartner said he could suspend Brown’s sentence for 12 months, meaning he will no go to prison unless he commits another offence in that period. Akinlolu was also spared an immediate jail sentence. “Violence will not be accepted on the streets of London,” Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah from the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. “Regardless of an individual’s profile or status, we will pursue those responsible and work tirelessly to bring them before the courts.”