Chris Brown sentenced over Rihanna assault
Tuesday 23 June 2009
Chris Brown has pleaded guilty in the US to one count of assault on his ex-girlfriend Rihanna.
The R&B star, 19, was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to do six months of community service.
Singer Chris had faced charges of assaulting Umbrella star Rihanna, 21, during a row in February.
The last-minute plea deal came before a hearing at a Los Angeles court at which Rihanna was due to give evidence. She said the sentence was "fair".
Chris had been facing a potential jail sentence of four years.
His sentence involves five years of supervised probation and six months of community labour, such as picking up litter or removing graffiti.
He will also have to attend courses on domestic violence.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court judge also ordered Brown and Rihanna to stay at least 50 yards from each other, except at entertainment industry events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards.
The case stems from a bust-up between the pair hours before the two were supposed to appear at the Grammy Awards. Leaked police pictures showed her right eye blackened and badly swollen and she had scratches and bruising on her arms.