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Singer Chris Brown
gets probation for assault on Rihanna
R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty on Monday to
assaulting his former girlfriend, pop star Rihanna, in an agreement with
prosecutors that calls for him to spend five years of probation and
attend courses on domestic violence.
Brown, singer of the hits "Run It" and "Kiss Kiss,"
will be formally sentenced
August
5. He had faced four years in prison if convicted in a trial on charges
of assault and a making a criminal threat. There was no plea deal on a
second charge.
In addition to the probation and the domestic violence
course in his home state of Virginia, Brown also must perform 180 days
of community service.
He was ordered to keep his distance from Rihanna, 21,
who was in the courthouse on Monday and prepared to testify against him.
Brown, 20, showed no emotion as his high-profile
defense lawyer Mark Geragos told Los Angeles Judge Patricia Schnegg of
the plea agreement with prosecutors.
Dressed in a gray suit, the singer was accompanied
into the courtroom by his mother and an entourage of supporters.
"I think it's commendable that you took responsibility
for your conduct, sir," Schnegg told Brown.
He was accused of beating Rihanna, whose hit songs
include "Umbrella," in a rented Lamborghini after the two attended a
swanky music industry party in February on the eve of the industry's
Grammy Awards.
A police photo of Rihanna's bruised and battered face
taken after the incident was leaked to the media but details of what
happened that evening have been scant. Brown's plea means that evidence
against him will not be heard in an open court.
"Rihanna believes this is a fair and just resolution
to this case," her attorney Donald Etra told reporters outside the
courthouse following the hearing. He said Barbados-born Rihanna learned
of the plea about an hour before the hearing was set to begin Monday
afternoon.
L.A. District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said
the plea was similar to other cases for first-time offenders like Brown
and prosecutors had discussed it with Rihanna.
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