Chris Brown was granted permission by a London court to return to the U.S. under strict bail terms tied to an alleged nightclub assault in 2023.
Chris Brown received court approval to leave the United Kingdom and return to the United States after a London judge adjusted his bail terms Tuesday in connection with an alleged nightclub assault involving a tequila bottle and a music producer.
The 36-year-old singer stood beside co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu at Southwark Crown Court, where both men pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a February 2023 incident at Tape, a members-only venue in Hanover Square.
The accusations include assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.
Judge Tony Baumgartner approved the bail variation under what he called “very stringent” terms, allowing Brown to return to the U.S. but with strict obligations. Details of those terms were not shared in open court.
“Mr Brown and Mr Akinlolu, this means that you will be able to return to the US on the conditions that I have set out in the bail variations order,” Judge Baumgartner said, according to The Mirror. “You will have to come back to the UK when you are required to do so and surrender to bail in accordance with your obligations that follow.”
Prosecutor Heide Stonecliffe KC called the arrangement “unusual,” clarifying that the defendants were not being “allowed to return to the US unfettered.”
The charges stem from an alleged unprovoked attack on music producer Abraham Diaw at the upscale club.
According to authorities, CCTV footage reportedly shows Brown repeatedly hitting Diaw over the head with a tequila bottle before kicking and punching him. Brown was arrested in May 2023 at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel after flying in on a private jet.
As part of the bail deal, Brown must post a $5 million security, surrender his passport, avoid contact with Akinlolu and stay away from Tape nightclub.
This case adds to Brown’s long history of legal issues, including his 2009 felony conviction for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, an incident that continues to shadow his career.
The trial is scheduled to begin in October 2026. Judge Baumgartner stated the proceedings will go forward even if the defendants do not attend.