American singer Chris Brown has been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months, after admitting to an incident in which he struck music producer Abraham Diaw with a tequila bottle at a London nightclub in 2023.
The 37-year-old appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, 26 October 2026, where he was sentenced over the attack at Tape nightclub in Mayfair, central London, in the early hours of 19 February 2023.
Brown pleaded guilty in July to affray, a public order offence involving the use or threat of unlawful violence that causes others to fear for their safety.
What happened at the nightclub?
The court heard that Brown struck Diaw, a former friend, with a glass tequila bottle during the incident. CCTV footage presented in court showed Brown hitting him in the head twice before others intervened.
Diaw sustained head and knee injuries and received hospital treatment.
Judge Tony Baumgartner described the use of the bottle against the victim’s head as dangerous, noting that it could have caused more serious injuries.
Why Brown will not go to prison immediately
Although Brown received an eight-month prison sentence, it was suspended for 12 months. This means he will not serve the sentence immediately, provided he complies with the conditions of the suspended sentence and does not commit another offence that activates it during the suspension period.
The judge considered several mitigating factors, including Brown’s guilty plea, stable employment and charitable work. The court also acknowledged his previous convictions but noted that he had maintained a clean record in recent years.
Brown’s vocal coach, Omololu Akinlolu, who also pleaded guilty to affray in connection with the incident, received a four-month suspended prison sentence.
The case relates to the February 2023 nightclub attack, for which Brown was arrested in Manchester in May 2025 after returning to the United Kingdom.
Source: Associated Press and Reuters. (AP News)
