Music star Chris Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend Rihanna as he appeared in court yesterday and the pair were ordered to stay away from each other.
The 20-year-old R&B singer avoided jail but will now be sentenced to 180 days of community labour in his home state of Virginia as punishment, his lawyer said.
Brown's plea to a felony charge will subject him to substantial scrutiny by probation officials, and the judge's order also rules out any short-term prospects for reconciliation with his former love.
Court drama: Rihanna prepared to testify against her former lover Chris Brown at the LA Superior Court, but was spared the ordeal when he pleaded guilty
Barbadian beauty Rihanna arrived at the courtroom dressed in black and wearing a pair of dark shades as she prepared to make her testimony.
She kept to a 'family room' adjacent to the court, but as it was announced that Brown had struck a plea bargain with prosecutors, it became clear that Rihanna would not have to take the stand.
Brown looked upset as he entered the courtroom with his lawyer Mark Geragos.
The guilty plea came before a preliminary hearing was scheduled to start.
The hearing had been billed for weeks as a public face-off between the pair, with Rihanna, 21, set to testify against her one-time boyfriend.
Guilty plea: R&B singer Chris Brown sat with his head in his hands during the hearing
Instead, Brown averted the potentially damaging meeting by entering the plea that will subject him to probation for the next five years as well as force him to perform six months of community service.Geragos said the plea represented the singer taking responsibility for his actions - which included beating, choking and biting Rihanna during a fight early on February 8, according to police.
After Brown left the courtroom, Rihanna entered and was addressed by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg, who explained to the singer that she had issued a stay-away order.
Rihanna had not been seeking such an order, but the judge imposed one anyway.
The order requires that Brown and Rihanna stay at least 50 yards (45 metres) from each other, except at showbiz parties and events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards (nine metres).
Silent witness: Rihanna, pictured with her attorney Donald Etra in court, did not have to testify and spoke only briefly during the hearing
The judge also told Rihanna it is not a one-way order - and that she, too, should not get any closer to Brown than the order allows.'This is a kid who's never been in trouble before,' Geragos said after the hearing.
'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.' Brown will be formally sentenced on August 5.
The judge accepted Brown's plea, but expressed some concerns because Brown is not a California resident.
She said he will most likely be allowed to do his service in his home state of Virginia, but she did not want him to spend his time at churches or community centres.
Instead, he was ordered to get his hands dirty by doing work equivalent to what he would do in California - cleaning up graffiti or roadside rubbish.
Flanked: Chris Brown leaves the Los Angeles Superior Court surrounded by police
She also said he'd have to return to California every three months and attend domestic violence counselling.Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office, said the terms were in line with what others receive when they are charged with similar crimes and have no prior criminal history.
Leaked: This photo of Rihanna, pictured after the alleged attack on February 8, was posted on celebrity gossip site TMZ
Brown spoke softly throughout the hearing as he waived his rights and told the judge he understood the gravity of his plea.'I think it's commendable you took responsibility for your conduct,' Schnegg told Brown.
She said she hoped 'the terms and conditions of your probation will have some meaning.'
Rihanna spoke briefly, too, telling Schnegg she understood the terms of the stay-away order and that after Brown's sentencing she might ask for its terms to be loosened.
The star recorded one of 2007's most popular songs with Umbrella and has numerous other hits.
Her looks have made her a cover girl for magazines, as well as a pitchwoman for Cover Girl cosmetics.
The deal provides an end to a case that sparked intense media interest and severe backlash against Brown.
Sponsors and radio stations dropped him, and the singer had to cancel several high-profile appearances, including a performance at the Grammys.
The singer once known for his squeaky-clean image now has a substantial blemish on his record. Brown, 20, rose to fame after the 2005 hit Run It!
Final exit: The singer is expected to serve five years probation and six months community service
He was nominated for a Grammy for No Air with Jordin Sparks and named Billboard's top artist in 2008.The case stems from a bust-up between the former couple hours before they were to appear at the 2009 Grammy Awards.
After the pair left Clive Davis's pre-Grammy party in Brown's silver Lamborghini a row ensued and he pulled over at the side of a street in a quiet Los Angeles neighbourhood.
Rihanna was then believed to have snatched the car keys from him and thrown them out the window, sending him into a rage.
Reports say Brown got out the car to look for the keys, then came back to the car, put his hands around Rihanna's neck and said: 'I'm going to kill you!'
According to a source, the Disturbia singer told police that she lost consciousness, and when she awoke, Brown had fled the scene.
Arriving in style: Brown was driven to the court in a luxury vehicle
Leaked police pictures showed her right eye blackened and badly swollen and she had scratches and bruising on her arms.Intense media coverage led to Rihanna being identified as Brown's victim mere hours after the attack.
Within weeks, a photo of the singer and model's bruised and battered face was posted on celebrity gossip site TMZ.
The posting sparked an investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department into whether one of its own officers leaked the photo to the Web site.
Brown's attorney unsuccessfully argued the leak hurt Brown and that he should be granted access to LAPD's investigative files.
Brown recently proclaimed in a video posted to YouTube that he was 'not a monster.'
Even after the hearing, lawyers for Brown and Rihanna refused to discuss the status of the pair's relationship.
Solemn: Brown stands next to his defence attorney Mark Geragos (right)
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