Chris Brown Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Charge in London Court

Chris Brown pleaded not guilty on Friday to an assault charge over an alleged bottle attack at a London nightclub two years ago.

According to the BBC, Brown denied the charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm relating to a February 2023 incident in which he allegedly attacked music producer Abraham Diaw at a Mayfair club. Two new charges related to the alleged attack — assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon — were added ahead of the hearing on Friday, but the judge adjourned arraignment on those until July 11. He is set to stand trial on Oct. 26, 2026.

Brown faces the grievous bodily harm charge alongside Omolulu Akinlolu, who performs under the name HoodyBaby. He also pleaded not guilty.

The singer is currently on tour in the U.K. and appeared at London’s Southwark Crown Court just hours after playing a show in Cardiff, Wales. He was arrested in Manchester last month after arriving to the U.K. for his tour and was held in custody for nearly a week before being released after paying a £5 million ($6.4 million) fee to ensure that he would show up at court. Brown must also live at a U.K. address while awaiting trial and handed over his passport to the police. However, he has been allowed to travel outside of the U.K. for the tour dates he already had scheduled.

According to the BBC, during his concert in Manchester on Sunday, Brown made mention of his arrest and time behind bars. “Thank you to the jail,” he said. “It was really nice.”

Brown is set to perform in London this weekend at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.