A$AP Rocky to tell assault trial he used violence ‘within limits of law’

A$AP Rocky pictured in 2017
Stephane Mahe/Reuters

American rapper A$AP Rocky will claim he only used violence “within the limits of the law” as he stands trial accused of attacking a man in Sweden.

The Grammy-nominated artist, 30, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, allegedly conspired with two others to assault Mustafa Jafari in central Stockholm on June 30 after the Smash hip-hop festival.

It is alleged that Mr Jafari, 19, was pushed to the ground by Mayers, and then kicked and punched repeatedly by all three. It is also claimed Mr Jafari was struck with a bottle.

But the platinum-selling recording artist’s lawyer, Martin Persson, told Swedish TV he would bring evidence to show that “no bottle has been used to hit or injure anyone” and that the violence used was “within the limits of the law”.

Renee Black, the mother of US rapper A$AP Rocky, arrives at the district court in Stockholm on Tuesday
EPA

The trial at Stockholm District Court began this morning and could last until the end of the week. Mayers’s lawyer said his client, sitting next to him in prison clothes of a green T-shirt and trousers, pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Mayers, who has been in custody since the start of this month, is accused with two of his entourage of attacking Mr Jafari “deliberately, together and in agreement”. He has insisted he acted in self-defence.

A$AP Rocky (file picture)
AFP/Getty Images

Mayers’s arrest prompted President Donald Trump to demand that Sweden’s prime minister intervene to free the musician. Mr Trump even offered to post bail for the star. He tweeted that he was “very disappointed” in premier Stefan Lofven for failing to help free Mayers, later adding: “Treat Americans fairly!”

But Mr Lofven said he would not influence the rapper’s case and that Sweden’s judiciary was independent of the political system. Mayers has also attracted support from fellow celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Bieber, under the tag #JusticeForRocky.

If convicted, the rapper and his two co-defendants could face up to two years in custody.

Mayers, best known for his song Praise The Lord, has had to cancel several scheduled shows across Europe due to his detention.

Before his arrest, he uploaded videos on Instagram of the moments before the alleged assault, saying two men were following his team and that he did not want any trouble. The rapper shot to fame with his 2011 debut Live.Love.A$AP, while his latest album Testing reached number four in the Billboard 200 charts on its release last year.

The criminal trial in Sweden is being conducted in a secure courtroom due to the high levels of press and public interest.

In more than 500 pages of documents that have been put forward by the prosecution it is claimed that Mr Jafari was hit by parts of, or a whole bottle, after being knocked to the ground.

The documents also include numerous photographs of Mr Jafari’s cuts, bruises and blood-stained clothes. The trial continues.

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