Singer Chris Brown set to be sentenced over bottle attack at a London nightclub

LONDON (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown arrived Monday at a London court for sentencing over brawling at a Mayfair nightclub three years ago.

Brown, 37, faces up to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a count of affray in July for attacking a music producer with a bottle.

Several fans cheered as Brown stepped out of a car when he arrived at Southwark Crown Court. His face was covered behind in a black mask and dark glasses and his dyed blond hair was mostly hidden from view under a black ball cap. He wore a black leather jacket and light-colored turtleneck.

Brown had denied striking Abraham Diaw at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023. But prosecutors said the fight was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people.

The plea deal had prosecutors drop charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle.

Brown's friend and vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu also pleaded guilty to affray. He will be sentenced too.

Brown left the United Kingdom after the brawl but was arrested in May 2025 at a Manchester hotel after flying to the city for a concert.

Brown had been free on bail of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million), which allowed him to tour Europe and North America last summer.

Brown, who rose to stardom as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” He earned his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” in 2025.

He has been in repeated legal trouble since his felony conviction in the 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, hours before the pair were due to perform at the Grammys.

He has been arrested in several U.S. states over altercations, and in 2019 he was arrested in Paris and questioned on suspicion of rape. He was released without charge.