Chris Brown freed on $6.7 million bail by U.K. court ahead of assault trial

LONDON — Chris Brown, the singer and rapper facing trial in the United Kingdom next month for an alleged nightclub attack, was released on $6.7 million bail after a Wednesday hearing.

Brown, 36, is now technically free to commence his U.K. and Ireland tour that begins in Manchester on June 15, two days after his trial is due to start in London.

Judge Tony Baumgartner told Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday that Brown could be freed subject to a £5 million ($6.7 million) bail payment, which would be forfeit if certain conditions are not met or he fails to turn up at his next court appearance, the British Press Association reported.

Brown was not present in court for the bail hearing.

The singer is accused of causing grievous bodily harm by throwing a tequila bottle in a nightclub in Manchester in 2023. He has yet to enter a plea in the case.

Brown was previously arrested for assaulting the singer Rihanna, an ex-girlfriend, in 2009 and he pleaded guilty to felony assault that same year.

In 2017, Brown’s ex-girlfriend, model Karrueche Tran, was granted a five-year restraining order against him. In 2022, he was accused of drugging and raping a woman on a yacht in 2020 in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Court. That case was later dismissed for lack of prosecution after no one from either side showed up for a scheduled hearing, NBC Palm Springs reported.