STOCKHOLM (AP) - The Latest on A$AP Rocky’s trial for assault in Stockholm (all times local):
2:55 p.m.
The lawyer for U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky says he is “disappointed” by the decision of a Stockholm court to find his client guilty of assault for his role in a June 30 street brawl in the city.
Slobodan Jovicic says he had hoped for a “complete acquittal.”
Jovicic told reporters that it was too early to say whether the ruling from the Stockholm District Court will be appealed.
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2:35 p.m.
A Swedish court that found American rapper A$AP Rocky guilty of assault for his role in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm says he and his two bodyguards “assaulted the victim by hitting and kicking him as he lay on the ground.”
During the trial, prosecutors played video footage that showed the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, throwing a young man to the ground.
Per Lennerbrant, the presiding judge, told a news conference that “the evidence in the case has been complex.”
The victim, 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari, was struck in the back of the head with a bottle but “it could not be established by whom,” he said, adding that “this has affected the assessment of the seriousness of the crime.”
The three avoided prison sentences. They were given conditional sentences and also ordered to a pay a total of 12,500 kronor ($1,307) in compensation.
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2:25 p.m.
A Swedish court has found American rapper A$AP Rocky guilty of assault for his role in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm.
The artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, earlier pleaded self-defense and said he had tried to avoid a confrontation with two men who were persistently following his entourage. One of them picked a fight with one of Mayers’ two bodyguards, the rapper told the Stockholm District Court.
The court said the defendants “were not in a situation” where they were entitled to self-defense and that they “assaulted the victim by hitting and kicking him.” As a result, the three defendants were “convicted of assault and sentenced to conditional sentences.”
That means the three face no prison sentence in Sweden unless they commit a similar offense in the country again.
The three were released Aug. 2 pending the verdict. All returned to the United States and are not legally obliged to be present in Stockholm.
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9:10 a.m.
A Swedish court will rule Wednesday whether American rapper A$AP Rocky is guilty of assault for his role in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm.
The artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, earlier pleaded self-defense and said he had tried to avoid a confrontation with two men who he said were persistently following his entourage. One of them picked a fight with one of Mayers’ bodyguards, the rapper told the Stockholm District Court.
If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison.
The 30-year-old rapper and his two bodyguards were released Aug. 2 pending the verdict. All three have returned to the United States and are not legally obliged to be present in Stockholm.
The issue led to a U.S.-Swedish diplomatic spat.
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