Chris Brown has been released on $6.7 million bail by a London court following his arrest on charges of grievous bodily harm stemming from a 2023 nightclub assault, clearing the way for the singer to begin his European tour next month. The 36-year-old was granted bail by Judge Tony Baumgartner at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday, with conditions including passport surrender except for tour-related travel and a scheduled return for his next court appearance on June 20.
The charges arise from an alleged attack on music producer Abraham Diaw inside London's Tape nightclub in February 2023. Prosecutors say Brown struck Diaw multiple times with a tequila bottle before stomping on him and continuing to attack him while on the ground. Surveillance footage and multiple witnesses reportedly captured the incident. Brown has not yet been asked to enter a plea.
Diaw has accused the Grammy-winning singer of launching an "unprovoked attack" and filed a civil lawsuit in October 2023 over the injuries, which reportedly included a collapsed knee. Last week, Diaw told the press, He “hit me over the head two or three times."
Brown was arrested at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester in the early hours of May 15 upon his return to the United Kingdom. "A 36-year-old man was arrested at a hotel in Manchester shortly after 02:00hrs on Thursday, 15 May on suspicion of grievous bodily harm," a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated. "The arrest relates to an incident at a venue in Hanover Square on 19 February 2023."
Bail was initially denied on May 17 but later granted on Wednesday, allowing Brown to begin his "Breezy Bowl XX" world tour. The tour is scheduled to launch June 8 in Amsterdam, with the U.K. leg running from June 15 to July 3, including performances in Cardiff and London. The next court date falls between those appearances.
Brown was not present at the bail hearing. Judge Baumgartner ordered that the bail - comprising an initial £4 million ($5.4 million) and a further £1 million ($1.3 million) due within seven days - would be forfeited if the artist fails to comply with court conditions.
Also facing legal scrutiny is American rapper HoodyBaby, real name Omolulu Akinlolu, who was arrested a day after Brown and is scheduled to appear in court on June 20.
Brown's legal troubles have long been intertwined with his career. In 2009, he pled guilty to felony assault after physically attacking then-girlfriend Rihanna. In 2017, ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran obtained a five-year restraining order against him. In 2020, Brown was accused of drugging and raping a woman aboard a yacht, though the lawsuit was quietly dropped after both parties failed to appear in court.
