Singer Chris Brown’s tour in question as UK judge orders him into custody on assault charge

LONDON (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown ‘s upcoming tour was thrown into question Friday as a British judge ordered him held in custody while facing allegations that he beat a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023.

Brown, 36, appeared in Manchester Magistrates’ Court to face one count of causing grievous bodily harm and was ordered held until his next hearing June 13 in London — the same day he’s due to take the stage in Frankfurt, Germany, on the third date of his world tour.

Judge Joanne Hirst rejected Brown’s bail request after prosecutor Hannah Nicholls said that the crime was “extremely serious.”

Brown was on tour in the U.K. in February 2023 when he launched an unprovoked attack on producer Abe Diaw, striking him several times with a bottle at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in London, Nicholls said. Brown then chased Diaw and punched and kicked him in an attack caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people, she said.

Defense attorney Grace Forbes argued that the American performer wasn’t a flight risk and should be released.

Brown was flanked by court officers in the dock. His hair was bleached blonde and he wore sweatpants and a black T-shirt. He confirmed his name and birth date, and said that his address was the local Lowry Hotel, where he was arrested early Thursday and taken into custody.

His case was transferred to Southwark Crown Court in London, where he is expected to enter a plea to the charge.

Brown’s representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Brown, often called by his nickname Breezy, burst onto the music scene as a teen in 2005 and has become a major hitmaker over the years with notable songs such as “Run It,” “Kiss Kiss” and “Without You.”

He won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” and then earned his second gold trophy in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” earlier this year.

The singer is due to launch an international tour next month with artists Jhene Aiko, Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller, opening with a European leg on June 8 in Amsterdam before starting North America shows in July.

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Jonathan Landrum Jr. contributed to this report from Los Angeles.