Chris Brown sentenced to 5 years' probation in attack on Rihanna [Corrected]
Pop singer Chris Brown was sentenced today to five years of probation and 180 days community labor -- to be personally supervised by the chief of police in Richmond, Va. -- in connection with his attack on former girlfriend Rihanna.
Brown reached a plea deal with L.A. prosecutors in June that was expected to limit his sentence to probation and no jail time. Under the agreement, Brown, 20, will serve five years' probation and take a yearlong domestic violence prevention class.
L.A. County Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg also ordered him to stay at least 100 yards away from Rihanna, 21, for the next five years. [Corrected at 3:15 p.m.: A previous version of this post said he was to stay 50 yards away from Rihanna].
Brown was arrested in February for beating and threatening Rihanna, also a pop singing star, during an argument in a rented Lamborghini. The incident occurred as the couple drove home from a pre-Grammy party.
The news that Rihanna was injured and that Brown was wanted by police surfaced as scores of celebrity reporters awaited the couple's arrival on the red carpet.
Had he been convicted of felony assault and criminal threats, Brown would have faced a maximum of five years in prison.
-- Victoria Kim at L.A. County Superior Court
Photo: Chris Brown in court in March. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times
EDITOR'S PICKS:
In this case, this woman-beater coward will do it again.
Posted by: Petery | August 26, 2009 at 12:53 AM
This is a travesty. Mr. Brown should have been heavily fined and jailed.
He is not remorseful in the least........ although I am fairly certain he "feels
bad for himself." One can be assured that he will learn little from this incident,
however the real tragedy may well be that neither will Rihanna as she appears
to be as "lost" as he is!
Posted by: Edward L. Jackson | August 26, 2009 at 01:08 AM
Another O.J. ? This is how it starts.
Posted by: dave | August 26, 2009 at 05:52 AM