American singer Chris Brown has avoided immediate imprisonment after a UK court handed him an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for one year, over a 2023 nightclub brawl in London.

The 37-year-old singer was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to affray, a public order offence arising from the incident at Tape, a private members’ club, on 19 February 2023.

Under the suspended sentence, Brown will not serve the prison term unless he breaches the conditions of his sentence or commits a further offence that results in activation of the suspended term.

According to Channels Television, the judge, Tony Baumgartner, described the incident as serious violence that endangered not only the victim but also other people in the crowded nightclub.

“Violence of this kind in a crowded nightclub is serious,” the judge said, warning of the risks posed to others.

Prosecutors Detail Nightclub Attack

Prosecutors accused Brown and his co-defendant, Omololu Akinlolu, of carrying out what they described as a vicious and unprovoked attack.

The prosecution alleged that Brown used a glass bottle to strike the victim on the head twice. The victim was also reportedly struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked.

Brown’s guilty plea to affray meant a trial on other charges, including attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of a bottle as an offensive weapon, was avoided.

The singer had previously denied those charges.

The judge said the violence had not been planned but stressed that it remained serious, particularly because it occurred in a crowded nightclub.

Akinlolu, 40, also pleaded guilty to affray over the incident. He was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for one year.

Brown Leaves Court To Cheers

Brown, who arrived at Southwark Crown Court wearing a black face mask, sunglasses and a black baseball cap, was greeted by loud cheers from fans as he left following the sentencing.

The singer later posted a video on Instagram showing himself making a thumbs-up gesture from inside his car.

Known for hit songs including Kiss, Kiss, Brown rose to fame in the mid-2000s and has sold tens of millions of records worldwide.

However, his career has also been marked by legal troubles. In 2009, he was convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, ahead of the Grammy Awards, an incident that forced the singer to miss the ceremony.

In 2012, Brown was involved in a nightclub altercation in New York involving members of rapper Drake’s entourage. French basketball player Tony Parker suffered an eye injury after being struck by a thrown glass bottle during the incident.

Brown also pleaded guilty in 2014 to assaulting a fan in Washington.

The London case arose from an incident in February 2023 while Brown was touring Britain.