Judge also kept in place a protective order to keep Brown away from ex-girlfriend Rihanna.

Chris Brown was formally sentenced in a Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday (August 25) stemming from his February altercation with then-girlfriend Rihanna.

The terms of the plea deal the singer agreed to last month in the case are largely the same, including 180 days of community labor work, a year of domestic-abuse counseling and five years’ probation. The judge, however, did not lift the protective order issued against Brown, warning him that he must stay away from Rihanna for five years, until August 25, 2014, when his probation period is over.

Judge Patricia Schnegg then told Brown she is not one to believe hearsay, but she informed the singer she was “not immune from the chatter that has been on the airwaves” about meetings between the couple. When asked if he understood the protective order and the conditions — which require the singer to stay at least 100 yards from Rihanna or 10 yards away from her during music-industry events they both attend — Brown quietly told the judge “yes.”

Brown arrived to the proceedings 10 minutes early and sat next to his attorney, Mark Geragos, without saying much. He wore a dark, pinstripe suit and appeared stern throughout. At one point, he answered the judge prematurely, earning a playful rebuke from Schnegg and he flashed a brief smile.
Read the rest of this entry »