Chris Brown has been freed on bail by a court in London, and will be allowed to travel internationally for his upcoming tour dates if he meets bail conditions.
Last week, the ‘Loyal’ rapper was arrested in Manchester for allegedly attacking a music producer in a London bar two years ago. He was tracked down at The Lowry Hotel by the Metropolitan Police and arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm just hours after arriving in the city on a private jet, leaving his upcoming tour in jeopardy.
Brown was accused of assault by producer Abraham Diaw, who has also lodged a civil complaint for $16million against Brown, seeking damages for injuries and losses incurred due to the alleged incident where the singer allegedly beat music producer Diaw with a tequila bottle and then stomped on him, resulting in hospitalisation.
The Met later shared that rapper HoodyBaby – real name Omololu Akinlolu – had also been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent for the February 2023 attack, the same charge Brown is facing. Police did not provide any further details regarding Akinlolu’s role in the alleged assault.
Brown had previously been ordered to remain in custody on the “extremely serious” charges related to the alleged nightclub attack. Per Rolling Stone, Judge Joanne Hirst had initially rejected his bail request at a hearing and ordered that he remain in custody until his next hearing on June 13 in London, despite his lawyer arguing that he wasn’t a flight risk. Brown has not yet been asked to enter a plea to the charge and is yet to speak out on the allegations.
However, today (May 21) the ‘Forever’ artist was granted bail by Judge Tony Baumgartner at Southwark Crown Court. Per BBC News, Brown wasn’t present at the hearing, at which the judge said he must pay a £5m security fee to the court.
The hefty fee acts as a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court, and Brown could be asked to forfeit the money if he breaches bail conditions – which include a ban from visiting Tape – the nightclub in which the incident occurred – and contacting music producer Diaw.
Likewise, Brown must live at an address in the UK and surrender his passport to police. However, he will still be allowed to travel for his tour dates, with a plan put in place for the rapper to leave his passport with lawyers when performing.
Brown’s upcoming tour is set to begin on June 8 in the Netherlands and make stops in Germany, the UK, Ireland, France and Portugal, before he heads on a North American leg of the tour at the end of July.
