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LAST UPDATE | 22 Jan 2019
AMERICAN R&B STAR Chris Brown was released without charge this evening after being held for questioning overnight in Paris over a rape allegation, the Paris prosecutor said.
The prosecutor’s office said an investigation was continuing, while Brown’s lawyer Raphael Chiche said his client “energetically” proclaimed his innocence and wanted to bring a defamation lawsuit.
A post late on Brown’s Instagram page strongly denied the accusations:
“I WANNA MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR…… THIS IS FALSE,” the post said.
“FOR MY DAUGHTER AND MY FAMILY THIS IS SO DISRESPECTFUL AND IS AGAINST MY CHARACTER AND MORALS!!!!!”
It was revealed earlier that Brown and two other people were taken into custody in Paris after a woman filed a rape complaint.
A woman had accused Brown, along with his bodyguard and a friend, of raping her in the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Paris on Tuesday night last week, a source close to the case said on condition of anonymity.
He was also being questioned over a suspected drugs offence, the source said.
French celebrity magazine Closer broke the news today, alleging that the 24-year-old woman had met the star in a nightclub near the Champs-Elysees before agreeing to go back to his hotel suite.
Le Figaro newspaper reported earlier that Brown was in the French capital attending shows during men’s fashion week.
Brown was convicted in 2009 of beating fellow singer Rihanna, who was then his girlfriend, and was forced to miss the Grammy Awards because of her injuries.
In 2016, he was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon following a standoff with Los Angeles police, after a woman said he threatened her at his home.
He also pleaded guilty to assaulting a fan in Washington in 2014 and was accused of violence by a woman in Las Vegas.
- © AFP 2019 with Associated Press
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Never understand the commenting rules here. Ronaldo’s tax case is closed with agreement and we can’t comment. Brown has just been detained for rape and we can.
@Elma Phudd: he hasn’t been charged so there’s no case to prejudice yet. It’s not really the journals rules, it’s court rules called sub judice that dictate as far as I know. Haven’t seen the Ronaldo thing but case may not be completely closed yet which would mean there’s still a case that could potentially be prejudiced.
@Elma Phudd: He hasn’t been charged, there is no court case pending on it. Just in custody.
@Winston Smith: well the judge is handing down final sentence today, so that’s probably it, but I still think comments on this would be potentially more prejudicial. However, I’m not a law guru. Not even close!
@Elma Phudd: What do you wanna say about Ronaldo Emma? go on, tell us
@Brianto: I can’t. It would be libellous.
@Winston Smith: let’s hope he is fluent in French and a degree in French poetry by the time he sees the good old US of A again …
French media has dare to tell the name of famous personality. Irish media has no guts to display the name of sport star
@Paddy Power: The French legal system is different. Would you have Irish papers jeopardise any potential prosecution, and possibly reveal the identity of the alleged victim, just to print something you already know?
@Paddy Power: The Irish way is how it should be. The name should not be in the public domain until an accused person has been given a fair trial and found guilty. Otherwise the trial can be compromised and guilty people may walk free, or innocent people may have their reputation ruined.
@Joe Bloggs: at this stage as well, Chris has nothing to lose as he seemed to get away with beating up riannah
A lot of past incidents and allegations, where there is smoke there is fire!
@John Mullins: the where smoke there is fire comment is a lot of the time not right. Re fake news.
I have to agree that on this case there is a possibility that you’re right but this
saying should be band imho.
Who’s next?! Goner Mack Dregger, me thinks.
How is this animal still free to jeopardise the safety of women, different rules for the rich and famous
@Ste Kelly: The other serious offences were committed in the US. He is still walking free because he has money to pay lawyers. Money guys you immunity in the US, it seems. Any regular guy in the same situation would be locked up for years.
@Ste Kelly: Why wouldn’t he be free. He assaulted someone 10 years ago. First violent offence, turned himself into Police straight away, plead guilty and complied with the orders of the court. You’d hardly expect him to still be locked up?
@Ste Kelly: please don’t compare him to an animal! Animals don’t behave like him.
@Padraig Bateman: No. But he was charged in 2016 for assault with a deadly weapon. If he was a regular black 20 something year old, I bet he would be doing jail time now.
@Earth Traveller: The case was dropped fur to lack of evidence though. You usually have to be convicted to do jail time
Horrible human
I will never understand why women go back to hotel rooms with these celebs. The risk it too great.
@Patricia Roe: I will never understand why celebs bring women back to their hotel room. The risk is too great.
@Patricia Roe: Probably because people make really bad decisions all the time and some women in particular miss read the dynamic of a situation like this, by thinking they are the “special one”, rather than just the latest warm body on the tour conveyor belt of equally foolish women.
The dynamic of this situation sounds more like a pattern of behaviour by the men involved, rather than a once off event…
That pr##k has serious bad form when it comes to women.
An convicted executed sex offender has yet to reoffend.
@BaaB: He isn’t a convicted sex offender though?
@Padraig Bateman:
I never said he was.
@BaaB: Weird enough to make a comment irrelevant to the article.
Quelle surprise
My comment about seeking an update on the Irish sports star in a similar situation was removed… Whys that now?
@thomas patrick: someone
@Karen Wellington: *someone must have made a specific complaint, they left up a ‘Goner Mack Dregger’ comment someone else made for reasons know only to themselves
@Karen Wellington: ssshhhh…you’ll give the game away ;)
They are all the same.. money, drug, problems, lesson givers… And good lawyers which will allow them to hold for years.
Thought the French were very strict about not naming people in these sort of cases. Recall that was even used as something of a conspiracy theory to explain why Dominique Strauss Kahn was arrested in New York rather than France by those who thought Sarkozy had something to do with the whole affair.
Only a stupid woman would go back to a hotel room with a famous celebrity (if all these allegations are true) and only a stupid celebrity would take a woman back to his hotel room (if these allegations are untrue).
@Frank McGlynn: a lot of stupid celebrities out there
Capable of some of the most beautiful and creative vocal melodies anywhere yet seems to have a lot of demons that he can’t get a grip on.
@Dave McCrea: Demons my ring. He’s a violent thug with a proven track record of treating women like rubbish.
Is this the guy who ate the face off of Rhianna?
have your say