A$AP Rocky's trial in Stockholm has begun, CNN reports. The rapper has spent most of this month in a Swedish jail facing assault charges following a confrontation in Stockholm at the end of last month. Here's what we know so far.
Rocky pleads not guilty
Rocky stands accused of deliberately attacking the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, in collaboration with two members of his entourage. Rocky has pleaded not guilty and the men claim they acted in self-defense. They have been held in custody since July 3.
Rocky's lawyer Slobodan Jovicic told the court, “He admits that he threw the plaintiff on the ground, that he stepped on his arm and punched or pushed his shoulder."
The evidence shown in court
Public prosecutor Daniel Suneson has shown the court phone and CCTV footage alongside police photographs that show the confrontation between Rocky and Jafari. The clips apparently show Rocky and two other men attacking Jafari with a glass bottle. Bloodstains and broken glass feature in the images, as do injuries to Jafari's arms and legs, resulting in Jafari having to get treatment at a hospital.
According to The Guardian, Suneson has filed more than 500 pages of court documents. After reviewing footage, he has said that “the events in question constituted a crime." He also noted that he had “access to a greater amount of material than what has been available on the internet.”
However, according to one of Rocky's lawyers Martin Persson, it's not certain that the bottle was actually used in the incident.
Jafari claims he acted in self-defense, requests compensation
Jafari is seeking 139,700 Swedish krona in compensation (approximately $15,000). He argues that “the perpetrator had shown great ruthlessness and cruelty.”
Jafari's lawyer Magnus Stromberg has stated that the beating started when Rocky's bodyguards “grabbed him by the neck and dragged him away."
Trial dates and the potential sentence
The case is scheduled to start today, July 30, and continue on Thursday and Friday this week. Proceedings are to be held in a "special secure courtroom." Should Rocky be found guilty, the maximum potential penalty is two years in prison. However, Swedish media says the prosecutors are not seeking the maximum penalty.
Updates to follow. In the meantime, find the full breakdown of Rocky's arrest here.
