May 16 (UPI) — Authorities in Britain said they have arrested and charged American R&B singer Chris Brown with grievous bodily harm with intent stemming from an alleged assault at a London nightclub in 2023.
Metropolitan Police announced the 36-year-old singer’s arrest in a statement that said Brown remains in police custody and is expected to appear Friday morning at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.
Authorities said the alleged assault occurred at a Hanover Square nightclub in London on Feb. 19, 2023.
Little information about the incident was made public.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial,” Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Adele Kelly for CPS London North said in a separate statement.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,” Kelly said, referring to Britain’s strict laws governing what news organizations can report on crime.
Brown was reportedly arrested at a Manchester hotel shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday, NBC News reported, citing police.
The arrest comes ahead of Brown’s upcoming tour, which is to begin June 8 in Amsterdam. He has several dates scheduled for next month in Britain.
Brown has a history of legal issues that go back more than a decade.
He pleaded guilty in 2009 to felony assault charges for beating up his then-girlfriend Rihanna, and was sentenced to 1,400 hours of labor-oriented service.
Then in 2014, he pleaded guilty to assaulting a fan outside a Washington, D.C., hotel in October a year prior, for which he spent 108 days in prison.
