WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty on Tuesday to misdemeanor assault and told a court he was sorry for breaking the nose of a fan when the man tried to thrust himself into a picture with the R&B star last year.
The “Turn Up the Music” singer was sentenced in District of Columbia Superior Court to time served in jail, or two days, and was ordered to pay $150 in court costs. Brown, 25, had rejected a similar plea deal in June.“I would like to say to the court I am sorry,” said Brown, standing next to his attorneys.
Brown had faced six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. But Judge Franklin Burgess Jr. said he would accept a plea bargain that called for a more lenient sentence.
“I feel he has suffered consequences for what he has done here,” Burgess said.
As part of the plea agreement, Brown admitted to punching Parker Adams, 20, when he tried to put himself into other fans’ photo outside Washington’s W Hotel in October 2013.
Brown’s bodyguard Christopher Hollosy, 36, was convicted in April on an assault charge for the same incident. Adams has filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against Brown and Hollosy.
After pleading guilty, Brown, wearing a gray suit, glasses and no tie, walked blank-faced out of the courthouse to a waiting SUV. He was surrounded by a throng of lawyers, bodyguards, reporters and screaming female fans.
Last year’s Washington scuffle occurred while Brown was on probation for a 2009 felony assault against his then-girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna.
That assault conviction in Los Angeles “derailed his career,” defense attorney Danny Onorato said. Brown will remain on probation on the felony charge until early 2015. He had been incarcerated for nearly three months and must serve 500 hours of community service.
Brown made his mark in the music world as a teenager and, despite his brushes with the law, has been able to bounce back professionally.
U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said in a statement: “No matter your status or celebrity, you will be held accountable for such conduct in our city.”
(Reporting by Tom Ramstack; Editing by Ian Simpson and Susan Heavey)
| Reuters.
No comments:
Post a Comment