A$AP Rocky found guilty of assault following Stockholm brawl
The 30-year-old won't serve time after he was given a suspended sentence by a court in Sweden.
Wednesday 14 August 2019 21:40, UK
US rapper A$AP Rocky says he is 鈥渄isappointed鈥� at being found guilty of assault in Sweden and given a suspended sentence.
The musician, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, thanked "everyone who showed me love during this difficult time" and vowed to "keep moving forward".
He had claimed that during a brawl in Stockholm on 30 June he acted in self-defence and tried to avoid confrontation with two men, who he said were persistently following his entourage.
A$AP Rocky told a district court that one of them picked a fight with one of his two bodyguards, who were also convicted of the same offence and given the same punishment.
All three of them returned to the United States and were not legally obliged to be present for today's verdict.
The court said the assault would have carried a two-month sentence, but, because the defendants had no prior convictions over the past five years and had already spent time in custody awaiting their trial, they won't serve more time in prison or pay any fine.
Writing in an Instagram post, the rapper said: "I am of course disappointed by today's verdict... Thank you to my team, my management, attorneys, label and everyone who advocated for justice."
A$AP Rocky's lawyer Slobodan Jovicic said he had hoped for a "complete acquittal" but that it was too early to say whether they would be appealing against the verdict.
The artist was accused of assaulting 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari. He spent a month in custody, flying back to the US on 2 August on temporary release following a trial.
On Wednesday, the court said the defendants "were not in a situation" where they were entitled to self-defence - and that they "assaulted the victim by hitting and kicking him."
The case made international headlines and more than 600,000 fans signed a #JusticeForRocky petition set up online.
Even the US president got involved, calling for Rocky to be released after Kanye West, whom Donald Trump has met in the past, asked him to intervene.
Mr Trump requested that Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven help free the rapper, but he said he could not interfere in a legal case.
He later tweeted messages saying he was "very disappointed" in Mr Lofven and demanded: "Treat Americans fairly!"
The US leader then welcomed news of the rapper's release.