US singer Chris Brown and his vocal coach have pleaded guilty to affray after admitting their involvement in a violent attack on a man inside an exclusive central London nightclub. Brown, 37, and Omololu Akinlolu, 40, entered guilty pleas at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, admitting one count of affray in connection with an assault at Tape London nightclub in Hanover Square during the early hours of 19 February 2023.
Bottle attack in crowded nightclub
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Brown approached the victim from the dancefloor before making his way through the crowd and striking him twice over the head with a glass bottle. Prosecutors said Akinlolu then joined the assault, punching the victim in the head as he attempted to escape through the nightclub. The victim was also kicked while sitting defenceless on the floor. He was treated at St Mary’s Hospital for injuries to his head and knee.
CPS: “Vicious and unprovoked attack”
Claire Campbell, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS London South, described the incident as an unprovoked act of violence. She said:
“This was a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim’s head twice.
“This kind of violence is entirely unacceptable, and the Crown Prosecution Service will work tirelessly – with the police and partners across the criminal justice system – to pursue cases like this, and prove that no one is above the law.”
Arrest after returning to UK
Following the assault, detectives established that both Brown and Akinlolu had left the United Kingdom, and arrest warrants were issued. Brown, who is from California, returned to the UK more than two years later as part of his world tour and was arrested in Manchester on 15 May 2025. Akinlolu, from Florida, was also brought before the court in connection with the case.
Sentencing later this year
Brown and Akinlolu are due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 26 October 2026. Their guilty pleas conclude the criminal proceedings relating to the affray charge arising from the 2023 nightclub attack.
