Chris Brown Kept in Custody After U.K. Judge Moves ‘Too Serious’ Case to Higher Court

Chris Brown has appeared at a U.K. court a day after police confirmed he’d been charged with grievous bodily harm following an alleged nightclub assault in 2023.

On Friday, May 16 at 12:47 p.m. local time, the musician, 36, appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court in the north of England after being taken into custody in the early hours of the morning the day prior. Brown wore all black with Nike tracksuit bottoms and a black T-shirt for his court appearance.

The Manchester Evening News (MEN) reported that his hearing had to be moved to a larger courtroom inside the building because of the huge public interest in watching the proceedings.

District Judge Joanne Hirst informed Brown that charges of grievous bodily harm are “too serious” to be heard in the magistrates’ court and moved the case to a crown court. A new date is set for June 13 at the Southwark Crown Court in London.

Brown will be held in custody until the new June date.

Prosecutor Hannah Nicholls claimed in court that the alleged 2023 attack was captured on CCTV footage and carried out in a club “full of people,” according to MEN.

Brown’s appearance came after the Metropolitan Police said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, “A 36-year-old man was arrested at a hotel in Manchester shortly after 02:00hrs on Thursday, 15 May on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. He has been taken into custody where he remains.”

They continued, “The arrest relates to an incident at a venue in Hanover Square on [Feb. 19, 2023]. The investigation is being led by detectives from the Central West Area Basic Command Unit.”

Police later named Brown in a news release, confirming his arrest and that he’d been charged with “grievous bodily harm with intent” and remained in custody until his court appearance on Friday.

Per the MEN, the “With You” singer was arrested at the five-star Lowry Hotel in Salford, which he listed as his “current address” in court. The Sun claimed Brown had flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet on Thursday afternoon.

The Metropolitan Police, who are based in London, traveled to Manchester for the arrest, the outlet stated.

Brown was sued by producer Abe Diaw in November 2023 over an alleged assault that took place at TAPE nightclub in February of that year. The club is located on Hanover Square.

In the lawsuit, which was examined by PEOPLE, the producer accused Brown of “beating” him and said that he suffered “crushing blows” to the head, which left him unconscious. He reportedly used a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila for the alleged attack.

Diaw alleged that Brown “continued to ruthlessly stomp” on him for “30 seconds.”

The producer “ended up in the hospital with lacerations on his head and torn ligaments in his leg,” and he was left with “permanent” damage and “severe emotional distress,” per the lawsuit.

Brown is currently set to embark on his Breezy Bowl XX tour in celebration of 20 years of his career. 

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Per his website, his show is still scheduled to kick off with a performance in Amsterdam on June 8, before heading to Germany and stopping in Manchester on June 15 and 16. He’s then scheduled to return to the city on June 24 and July 3, before performing shows in Paris and Portugal, and then heading to Miami to kick off his U.S. and Canada dates on July 30.

PEOPLE reached out to Brown’s rep on Thursday, May 15, but did not immediately hear back.

The musician has a history of being involved in brawls and legal problems stemming back to 2009 when he was arrested for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna. He pleaded guilty to felony assault that year, reaching a plea agreement at the time that spared him jail.