US singer Chris Brown ordered held until June in UK assault case

American R&B singer Chris Brown, former boyfriend of superstar Rihanna, was Friday remanded in custody until June 13 by a UK court, charged with assault over a 2023 incident.

The judge's decision to reject his bail request throws into doubt the start of Brown's next tour, with shows already sold-out in the Netherlands on June 8 and Germany on June 11.

Brown, 36, was arrested in the early hours of Thursday at a Manchester hotel and then charged over the alleged assault at a London nightclub in 2023, police said.

He appeared at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Friday, where District Judge Joanne Hirst remanded him in custody until a plea and trial preparation hearing at London's Southwark Crown Court on June 13.

Brown is due to play in Germany that day, and has a series of shows planned in the UK and Europe during June and July, before heading to the United States.

The singer is known for mid-2000s hits such as "Kiss, Kiss" as well as a litany of legal troubles including a felony conviction for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

He has also faced criminal accusations including sexual assault and domestic violence.

- Hotel arrest -

Brown was charged with "grievous bodily harm with intent" in relation to "an assault, which reportedly took place at a venue in Hanover Square in London" on February 19, 2023, police said.

Brown allegedly attacked music producer Abe Diaw with a bottle at Tape nightclub in London's exclusive Mayfair district, The Sun daily reported.

AFP

Members of the public and photographers look on as a prison van leaves from the back of a Manchester court shortly after US R&B singer Chris Brown charged with a 2023 assault in a London nightclub

The singer, who has sold tens of millions of records worldwide, was touring the UK at the time of the alleged assault.

Brown reportedly flew into Manchester airport by private jet on Wednesday afternoon.

Police detained Brown at the five-star Lowry Hotel in Manchester, according to media reports.

The two-time Grammy winner rose to fame at a young age with his rich R&B voice and later rap, but his reputation was later tarnished by allegations of domestic violence and other abuse.

He was convicted of having beaten Rihanna before the 2009 Grammy Awards, forcing the pop star to miss the annual gala.

In 2012, Brown was involved in an altercation at a New York nightclub with members of hip hop star Drake's entourage, during which French basketball star Tony Parker suffered an eye injury after being hit by a thrown glass bottle.

Two years later, he pleaded guilty to assaulting a fan in Washington.

Brown, who rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame, was also arrested in 2016 after a woman alleged that he pointed a gun at her.