Chris Brown, 37, pleaded guilty to affray for attacking music producer Abraham Diaw at Tape nightclub in London on February 19, 2023 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Brown struck Diaw twice on the head with a glass bottle, while co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, 40, punched and kicked Diaw as he lay on the floor, causing head and knee injuries that required hospital treatment [3, 6].
Brown and Akinlolu were initially charged with more serious offences including attempted grievous bodily harm and assault causing actual bodily harm, as well as possession of an offensive weapon—the glass bottle used in the attack. Those charges were dropped following their guilty pleas to affray, a charge involving unlawful violence that risks causing others to fear for their safety and carries up to three years in prison under English law [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
Prosecutor Claire Campbell described the attack as "a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim’s head twice" [6]. She said the Crown Prosecution Service would work "tirelessly... to prove that no one is above the law" [3].
Brown was arrested on May 15, 2025, in Manchester at the Lowry hotel after arriving on a private jet. He initially denied bail but was later released after posting a £5 million security fee. Bail conditions allowed him to continue his Breezy Bowl XX world tour but required surrender of his passport upon UK arrival [1, 2, 3, 6].
At his court appearance on July 24, 2026, Brown dressed in a tan-beige suit with gold-rimmed sunglasses, leaving the courtroom to fans shouting "Breezy! Breezy!" [1, 2, 3, 6].
Brown and Akinlolu will be sentenced together at Southwark Crown Court on October 26, 2026 [1, 2, 4, 5, 6].
