Chris Brown Denied Visa To Enter Britain

Chris Brown has postponed a series of concerts in Britain after being refused a visa over his sentence for assaulting ex-girlfriend Rihanna, his tour organisers and officials said Tuesday.

The 21-year-old was due to play four events in Britain starting in Glasgow on Wednesday, but they have been put off after his visa application was turned down by the UK Borders Agency. 


Tour promoter SJM Concerts in a statement on its website said "Due to unforeseen circumstances the Chris Brown UK tour starting tomorrow... has unfortunately been postponed. As well as the Glasgow concert, Brown was due to play in Birmingham, Manchester and London. SJM said fans should keep their tickets "as there will be more news in the forthcoming days of possible rearranged dates."

The Home Office declined to comment officially, but sources confirmed that Brown had been refused a visa.

"We reserve the right to refuse entry to the UK to anyone guilty of a serious criminal offence. Public safety is one of our primary concerns," said Barbara Woodward of UK Border Agency.

"Each application to enter the UK is considered on its individual merit," she added.

Investigation revealed that Paragraph 320(18) of the Rules governing the refusal of visas on the grounds of criminal convictions states that an application should normally be refused if that person has been convicted of an offence in any country, which could have attracted a term of imprisonment of 12 months or more if the offence had been committed in the UK.  ECOs should not refuse under 320(18) if the conviction is considered “spent” under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. 

Paragraph 320(18) will not apply where an applicant has been cautioned.  When determining if a refusal under 320(18) is appropriate, the ECO must also take into account any human rights grounds and ensure that the refusal is both proportionate and reasonable.

Brown was sentenced to five years' probation, a year-long domestic violence programme and 180 days of community labour after pleading guilty to assaulting Barbadian singer Rihanna on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February last year.

The incident shocked the music world and left Rihanna nursing cuts and bruises to the face, forcing her to cancel a performance at the awards show.