A$AP Rocky found guilty, but no prison
STOCKHOLM – American rapper A$AP Rocky was found guilty of assault Wednesday by a Swedish court for his role in a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm that attracted the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump.
A judge and jury found the rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, and his two bodyguards guilty of unlawfully hitting and kicking a 19-year-old man.
Despite the verdict, the defendants will not return to prison as the court gave them “conditional sentences” for the assault convictions. That means they don’t have to serve prison time unless they commit a similar offense in Sweden again.
The defendants, who spent nearly a month behind bars before being released Aug. 2, returned to the U.S.
Though they were spared further jail time, they were ordered to a pay $1,310 in compensation to the victim.
Slobodan Jovicic, the Grammynominated artist’s Swedish defense lawyer, sought “a complete acquittal” and expressed his disappointment at the verdict.
Mayers, 30, pleaded self-defense and said the fight happened after he tried to avoid a confrontation with the two men he claimed had persisted in following his entourage. One picked a fight with one of the bodyguards, Mayers said during his trial.
But the court concluded the defendants were “not subject to a current or imminent criminal attack” and as a result “were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense.”
“In an overall assessment the court finds that the assault has not been of such a serious nature that a prison sentence must be chosen,” the summary states.
During the trial, prosecutors played video footage that showed Mayers throwing a young man to the ground.
Presiding Judge Per Lennerbrant said the evidence shows Mustafa Jafari, 19, was struck in the back of the head with a bottle but that it could “not be established by whom.” That determination was a factor in the verdict since it “affected the assessment of the seriousness of the crime,” the judge said.
“The overall evidentiary situation in the case has been complex,” he said.
The crime carries a two-year maximum sentence in Sweden.
Mayers had told the court before his release that Jafari and his friend refused to go away despite several appeals, and claimed they appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Testifying in court, Jafari said his memory of the night was confused because of the blows to his head during the brawl. He told police earlier he had gotten angry when his headphones were broken during the initial argument with a bodyguard.
A full-scale brawl ensued shortly afterward. Prosecutors alleged Mayers and his bodyguards – David Rispers, Jr. and Bladimir Corniel – beat and kicked Jafari while he was on the ground. They also alleged that Jafari was hit with parts of, or a whole bottle.
Jafari claimed the rapper pushed him to the ground, and photos showed the alleged victim’s cuts, bruises and blood-stained clothes.
The case drew the attention of American celebrities and Mayers’ fellow recording artists, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Bieber. A social media campaign, #Justiceforrocky, has been pressing for his release.
The issue also led to a U.s.-swedish diplomatic spat.
U.S. President Trump intervened on behalf of the rapper while he was jailed, tweeting, “It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!” Trump also called Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on July 20, offering to personally guarantee his bail, but the Swedish leader said he couldn’t interfere in a legal case.
Despite Trump’s intervention, Mayers was not immediately released.
David Keyton and Jan M. Olsen