A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty as his assault trial commenced in Sweden's Stockholm District Court on Tuesday (July 30), claiming he acted in self-defense.
The 30-year-old rapper, whose birth name is Rakin Mayers, was detained on July 3 stemming from June 30 assault charges against 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari, the alleged victim who claims Rocky and two of his friends assailed him with a bottle, punched, and kicked him during the incident. Rocky's mother, Renee Black, was present during the trail for her son, who, if convicted, faces two years in prison.
The trial was held in a secure courtroom due to "the large interest from the media and the public," the Daily Mail UK reports. The publication also indicates Rocky appeared in court in handcuffs wearing a jacket with "A$AP Lifestyle" scrawled on the back. During the trial, Swedish newspaper Expressen revealed Jafari's past criminal history, which involves previous convictions for petty theft, assault, and heroin. Jafari's 20-year-old friend, who apparently saw the incident unfold, will also appear as the teen's witness during the case.
In more than 500 pages of court documents, Swedish prosecutors claimed the Grammy-nominated musician "deliberately, together and in agreement" attacked Jafari in central Stockholm while he was on the ground, and that the alleged victim sustained injuries from parts of or a whole bottle during the brawl. Jafari's attorney claims Rocky's guards "grabbed him by the neck and dragged him away," and that his client did not instigate the attack.
In tandem with this new report, Daily Mail UK also published photographs which supposedly capture Rocky mid-assault and others show Jafari bruised and blood-stained after the scuffle.
At this time, the artist's lawyer, Martin Persson, told Sweden's SVT he intends to present new evidence in court that would prove "no bottle has been used to hit or injure anyone" and that Rocky acted "within the limits of the law."
Per CBS News, Rocky's trial could continue on Thursday and Friday, though it's undecided at this time.
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