Chris Brown arrested in Paris on rape charge

Chris Brown has been arrested by police in Paris on suspicion of aggravated rape and drug offences.

The 29-year-old singer and two other men - one of whom is believed to be a member of his security staff - were detained by French police yesterday, the Associated Press reports, citing two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The complainant, a 24-year-old woman, told police that she met Brown and his entourage at a nightclub on the night of 15 January and then returned with them to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where she says she was raped.

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French celebrity magazine Closer, which first reported the arrests, says that the Grammy-winning RnB singer was arrested at the Mandarin Oriental yesterday. The hotel has not commented on the allegations.

Investigators now have two days to decide whether to proceed with the case or release the men without charge.

Neither the singer nor his official representatives have commented on the case.

Brown’s musical career has been overshadowed by string of arrests and convictions, beginning with a 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna which left her in hospital. He received five years’ probation and community service for the attack.

In October 2013, Brown was ordered to enter rehab to engage in anger management therapy after he and his bodyguard were involved in an altercation outside a hotel in Washington D.C.

He was expelled from the facility “after throwing a rock through his mother's car window while she was visiting him”, says E! News.

Brown finally completed his probation in 2015, but has continued to have run-ins with the law.

He was last arrested six months ago over “an April 2017 incident in which he was accused of punching a man who photographed him without permission”, says CNN. He pleaded not guilty to a charge of felony battery and is currently on bail awaiting trial.