A$AP Rocky Addresses Controversial Sweden Guilty Verdict
UPDATE: Hours after Swedish authorities announced their final verdict in A$AP Rocky's assault case, the A$AP Mob leader took to social media on Wednesday (Aug. 14) to publicaly address the situation. Rocky went to Instagram and kept it a full 100 while also thanking supporters for sticking by his side throughout the ordeal.
"I am of course disappointed by today's verdict," he wrote. I want to say thanks again to all my fans, friends, and everyone who showed me love during this difficult time. I'mma keep moving forward."
PREVIOUS:
A$AP Rocky’s assault case with the Swedish authorities reached its conclusion on Wednesday (Aug. 14). The Harlem rap artist was found guilty of assault stemming from a street fight he was involved in on June 30 in Stockholm. Two people from his entourage, David Rispers and Bladimir Corniel, were also found guilty of the same charge.
Despite Rocky and his crew’s claims that they were acting in self defense, the court said the three were "not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense" as Jafari posed no imminent threat to them.
"The defendants have claimed that they acted in self-defense," read one part of a statement the court put out. "Based on statements from two witnesses, the court finds that the defendants were not subject to a current or imminent criminal attack. Therefore, they were not in a situation where they were entitled to use violence in self-defense. Nor could they have perceived themselves to be in such a situation."
While Rocky’s team didn’t get the verdict they were hoping for, they are probably more than relieved that the conviction doesn’t come with any additional jail time. The court withheld handing down a prison sentence as prosecutors had suggested.
The only caveat is that the 30-year-old will have to pay $1,300 in damages to the victim, Mustafa Jafari, "for violation of his integrity and pain and suffering" and to cover his court fees, according to CNN. Rocky was also placed under a two-year probation period.
The possibility of a prison sentence hinged on prosecutors being able to prove that Rocky and his crew hit Jafari with bottles as it was alleged, which has been the crux of the legal back-and-forth between Swedish prosecutors and Rocky’s defense team. The prosecutors could not conclusively prove if the three men wielded bottles during the street brawl.
As a result, the judges ruled that Rocky will not have to spend any time behind bars despite the guilty verdict. He had served nearly a month in a Swedish jail while he awaited trial, and was released on August 2 pending the verdict.
Rocky was not at today’s trial as he did not have to present in court after he was released from Sweden’s custody last week. Over the weekend, Rocky asked for fans to keep him in their prayers ahead of the trial at the Real Street Festival on Sunday (Aug. 11), which was his first public appearance since his arrest.
“Hopefully, God's will, I'm not guilty. I get the verdict on Wednesday,” he said. “It was an unfortunate event and I’m just trying to stay blessed."
- advertisement
