/ 29 May 2013

Chris Brown could face jail over minor car accident

Singer Chris Brown is at it again on Twitter
Singer Chris Brown is at it again on Twitter

A minor car crash could send Chris Brown to jail. Officials are allegedly investigating whether Brown violated the terms of his probation last week after he hit another vehicle in Los Angeles.

According to a report on the gossip blog TMZ, the LA is looking into the claim that Brown refused to cooperate with the victim of a minor crash on May 21. Although the star did not dispute his Range Rover bumped the back of her Mercedes-Benz, he was apparently reluctant to hand over his insurance details or driving permit number. The 24-year-old also "copped an attitude when the woman pressed him for his [information]". When Brown did finally oblige her, TMZ claims he gave her false information.

If this is true, Brown could be in very hot water. The R&B singer is still under probation for his 2009 assault against Rihanna. According to TMZ, if he refused to disclose correct insurance information, he would be in breach of his probation terms – and could face a jail sentence of up to four years.

In a statement to TMZ, "sources close to" Brown denied he had lied about his insurance information and provided a photo of the victim's car, showing no signs of damage. "When his lawyer attempted to contact [the other driver] not long after the accident, she hung up on him," the sources claimed. They insisted Brown has not been contacted by police.

This wouldn't be Brown's only recent brush with controversy. In February an LA judge questioned whether Brown completed the six months' community labour sentence imposed as part of his five-year probation. A report by the LA district attorney's office found that there was "no credible, competent or verifiable evidence that defendant Brown performed his community labour". A further hearing is scheduled for 10 June.

Brown's last album, 2012's Fortune, topped the UK album charts. – © Guardian News and Media 2013