Brown pleads guilty to assaulting Rihanna

CHRIS Brown, the R&B star, will be picking up roadside rubbish as punishment for beating up his former girlfriend, pop princess Rihanna.

Brown yesterday pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna in February.

The two were ordered to stay away from each other in a deal that keeps the singer out of prison, but requires him to clean up graffiti or sweep streets.

For weeks the hearing was billed as a public face-off between the former lovers, with Rihanna set to testify against Brown.

Instead, Brown averted the meeting by pleading guilty. He will now be on probation for five years and will do six months of community service.

Brown’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, said the plea represented the singer taking responsibility for his actions — including beating, choking and biting Rihanna during a fight.

After Brown left the courtroom, Rihanna entered and was told by Los Angeles Superior Court judge Patricia Schnegg that she had issued a “stay-away order” that requires that the two stay at least 45m away from each other, except at music industry events, at which they must remain 9m apart.

“This is a kid who’s never been in trouble before,” Geragos said. “He embraces this as a chance to get the message out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. He wants to get his life back on track.”

Schnegg accepted Brown’s plea and said he might be allowed to do community service in his home state of Virginia. But she did not want him spending time in churches or community centres, ordering him to clean up graffiti or roadside litter instead.

She also ordered him to return to California every three months for domestic violence counselling.

The deal ends a case that sparked a severe backlash against Brown. Sponsors and radio stations dropped him and he had to cancel high-profile appearances, including a performance at the Grammys.