N-Dubz star in court after being convicted of a nightclub attack on a football coach in in Reading
Former N Dubz star Dappy broke down in tears as he avoided jail on Thursday afternoon .
The No Regrets singer shielded his face from the paps when he arrived at the Guildford Crown Court for sentencing just before 2pm this afternoon.
The London-born rapper was found guilty at Reading Magistrates' Court on September 5 of attacking Devonn Reid at the Evissa club in October 2013.
The N-Dubz star broke down in tears as the judge sentenced him to two months in prison, suspended for 12 months.
Judge Stewart also gives Dappy a four-month curfew from 10pm-5am. He also says Dappy must have a 12 month supervision order and to attended a thinking skills programme.
He must also pay £800 compensation to the victim of his Reading assault, an £800 fine and £1,200 costs as well as the surcharge of £80.
Speaking on the courthouse steps following his sentencing, Dappy said: "I'm very relieved, it's a brand new me."
Read the full story here.
- Former N-Dubz singer Dappy faces a possible jail sentence today for punching a man in a row over a woman at a nightclub
- The singer, real name Costadinos Contostavlos, attacked Devonn Reid, who told him to stop talking to his girlfriend at Evissa in Reading on 6 October last year, a court previously heard
- Dappy, 27, was convicted of assault and sent for sentence at Guildford Crown Court, Surrey, because he had been given a six month suspended sentence in 2013 for an assault and affray on a petrol station forecourt
- The judge today could decide on activating the prison term because the nightclub attack was committed while he was still serving the suspended sentence
- Sentencing is expected at 2pm
Stay with us as we bring you live updates from Dappy's sentencing as it happens.
The rapper had denied attacking Devonn Reid at the Evissa club in Reading on October 6 last year but was found guilty after a brief trial.
The 27-year-old rapper put his head in his hands after a district judge found him guilty on September 5 of yet another assault. It came just three months after he was fined for slapping a man outside another nightclub.
Dappy denied the attack, saying he had felt threatened by a “group of six or seven big boys” at the bar and was pulled away by a bouncer before a punch was thrown.
But after hearing all of the evidence, District Judge Davinder Lachar told him: “I have no doubt in my mind you were being told not to talk to these girls, you took exception to it and punched this particular person.”
Following his last hearing, Dappy stopped outside to pose with a fan, moments after declaring: "I'm free!" to the waiting press.
Dappy looked relieved as the District Judge said she would not jail him today for the assault in Reading but would send him to Guildford Crown Court for sentencing on the previous suspended sentence he was given.
As the prosecuter read out the impact statement from the victim Dappy assaulted, the rapper sat in the dock with his head in his hands in a praying position and gently rocked backwards and forwards.
The sentencing of N-Dubz singer Dappy was delayed after the controversial rapper called the court on his mobile phone to say that he was stuck in Reading's morning rush-hour traffic and would be late for court.
— Dappy (@TheDappy) November 6, 2014 Dappy has tweeted ahead of his sentencing this afternoon.
The former N-Dubz star shared four emoticons of praying hands with his followers.
"Good luck xx" replied one fan.
"Babe hopes everything goes well today," said another.
In N Dubz autobiography Against All Odds: From street life to chart life, Dappy details his troubled past, in words which certainly will have come back to haunt him.
He recalls being expelled from one school for truancy and at another he said he was in fights "almost every day".
The group which went on to become N-Dubz began performing together 12 years ago, barely into their teens, with the line-up also featuring Fazer (Richard Rawson).
They released their first tracks under the name Lickle Rinsers Crew, later changing to NW1 and finally settling on N-Dubz, releasing their first download-only single under that name in 2006.
Within months they had a major record deal and by 2008 made the top 20, achieving their biggest hit the following year.
He admitted in a TV documentary that despite becoming a well-known figure, he continues to lie about his name and address to police and claimed he did not pay a tube fare until he was in his 20s.
This is the Reading nightclub where Dappy reacted with his fists after being humiliated by a football coach.
Just weeks ago the former N-Dubz star narrowly avoided bankruptcy by paying a £140,000 tax bill.
An official with HM Revenue and Customs told a judge in the High Court that the outstanding amount had now been paid in full.
The star, who did not attend the two-minute hearing, is believed to have earned more than £100,000 from his stint in the Celebrity Big Brother House.
Victim Mr Reid told a district judge at Reading Magistrates' Court he had been drinking with 14 friends and they arrived at the club around 11pm.
He said: "We were in a group in the centre of the dancefloor. He (Dappy) comes up to us and was like 'have you lot got a problem?' We said no. My mate said 'do you want a drink?' He said no and that was the end of the conversation."
Mr Reid said the night continued and he didn't see the Celebrity Big Brother star again until around 2am.
He said: "Marie, my friend, and my girlfriend Sidney were both talking to Dappy. He had his arms around my friend Marie. They were talking. I thought it was in a flirtatious way.
"I went over there and said to Marie 'why are you talking to him?' Dappy said to me 'what, do you not want me talking to her?'
"I was standing about an arms length from him. He said, 'who don't you want me talking to?'
"I said 'don't talk to none of them.' He said something. I didn't hear what he said. I said 'what?' When I turned in to look at him, that is when he hit me straight in the nose.
We've been told things are overrunning from a trial this morning.
So far no sign of Dappy 'happy-slappy' on the ground.
Dappy has arrived at court.
Get Surrey report that the former N-Dubz star is hiding under an umbrella.
These could be his last footsteps of freedom for some time if he's sent to jail.
So far, neither Tulisa nor Fazer have tweeted their support to their former bandmate (and cousin, in Tulisa's case).
Fazer just tweeted his new music video instead...
Youch.
Dappy divided the nation when he appeared on CBB this year - with his tearing tantrums and overt flirtations with entrepenuer Luisa Zissman.
Here are a few clips his "best bits".
Dappy appears to be wearing the same outfit as he wore to court last month.
The rapper is dressed in black pants, a white shirt, a black jumper and a cap.
On arriving at court, the star attempted to hide himself with a giant blue brollie.
The case before Dappy's has just been called.
We are expecting dappy in the dock within the next hour.
Dappy returns to Guildford Crown Court today 22 months after he was found guilty of affray for his involvement in a brawl on a Guildford petrol station forecourt.
Jurors decided that he played a part in a fight at the Shell garage in Woodbridge Road. They also found him guilty on a charge of assault by beating, deciding that he had spat at a man who was part of another group of people at the petrol station. However they cleared him on two counts of common assault, relating to allegations that he also spat at two other people.
Dappy was given a a six-month sentence, suspended for 18 months by Guildford Crown Court for that assault but in October of last year was involved in a fight at the Evissa nightclub in Reading.
District Judge Davinder Lachhar heard how Dappy was involved in a fight after he began speaking to two women.
He then decided to return the 27-year-old to Guildford Crown Court, saying: "Certainly from my part I would be thinking of a custodial sentence, but it is only right that the same court should sentence you."
Get Surrey report the hearing will begin imminently.
Dappy has arrived in the courtroom carrying a rather large overnight bag.
The hearing should start in a couple of minutes.
Dappy is now in the dock, wearing a black jumper and white shirt. The judge is about to enter.
Judge Neil Stewart has arrived for the hearing.
Dappy speaks quietly to confirm his name and that he accepts the convictions against him.
The prosecution is telling Judge Stewart that Dappy was in a nightclub in Reading on October 6 2013 when a female friend went to talk to the rapper.
When the complainant asked the woman not to talk to him, Dappy asked which woman he shouldn't speak to.
"Matters progressed quickly," the prosecutor says, before saying that the complainant was then punched and felt his nose pop.
Judge is then told that the complainant, after cleaning himself up in the nightclub toilets, was then ejected by nightclub bouncers before being arrested by police. He was then de-arrested and Dappy was investigated.
Court hears how Dappy has convictions going back to 2005 when he was found to have a bladed article (a kitchen/utility knife) in a jacket pocket as well as a case of battery in 2007 and two more batteries in 2008.
Prosecutor admits the punch did not cause "intensive or long term medical treatment" to the victim, reports Get Surrey.
Court hears how an initial appearance at Reading Magistrates' Court in January was postponed because of Dappy's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
The prosecutor says that caused "displeasure" to magistrates.
Dappy appears to be praying in the dock while barristers discuss his potential sentence with the judge.
He was handed an 18-month suspended sentence at the start of 2013 after being convicted of his role in a petrol station fight. That has now expired however, as we've heard, this incident in Reading occurred during that period of a suspended sentence.
His defence counsel says Dappy exercised his right to contest the sentence but has not appealed.
The judge says he needs to decide if the delay in Dappy's sentencing - until after the period of his suspended sentence - hearing is through no fault of his own because of exercising his right to contest and procedural matters or if he contributed to the delay.
Dappy has three character references from people involved in his life but are not employed by the rapper. "They are not paid by him, they are not employed by him," his defence counsel tells Judge Stewart.
Dappy has been praying, biting his nails and looking nervously towards the judge throughout the hearing.
Dappy's defence counsel says the man punched by the rapper was ejected from the club in Reading because of his behaviour and remonstrated with door staff and police afterwards.
He says the complainant went to hospital the following day with his nose injury and was administered painkillers. He also says there's a certain amount of provocation in the matter with the complainant telling him in "no uncertain terms" not to talk to his girlfriend or her friends.
Defence counsel says because of the nature of his profession he is someone who is approached by strangers much more than others. 95% of the time it's pleasant but sometimes, such as in Reading in October 2013, it isn't. But he has taken steps to address his anger when confronted.
The court also hears that Dappy owes a large amount of money to HMRC and his house is currently up for sale to help service his debts and is concerned that if he's sent to prison cannot provide for his two children or service his debts.
Judge Stewart is also told the Dappy no longer attends nightclubs except in a professional capacity.
"He has done what he can to negate any repetition of offending that Your Honour saw in 2013," says Dappy's defence counsel, Jon Harrison.
Dappy meanwhile is rocking back and forth in the dock.
Mr Harrison asks Judge Stewart to make the suspended sentence breach with a financial penalty and will keep him in a position to "address the root cause of his bad reactions towards other people" so he can "strive not to bother this court again".
The defence counsel has finished his submissions and Judge Stewart will now pass sentence.
Judge tells dappy the time of his offence is something he "can't ignore"
Even though suspended sentence ended in August the court can still activate it because the offence in Reading was before it expired.
Judge tells Dappy that the punch he threw in Reading "was not justified, not in self-defence" and that the complainant is now not as keen to go out as he was and the publicity of it has been "very stressful for him".
Judge Stewart says the severity of this latest offence depends on the injury to his nose.
He says it does not have the greater harm and this is a category 3 offence, the lower category, but significantly aggravated because he was on a suspended sentence.
Judge Stewart reminds Dappy of his past including battery in 2007 and two counts of battery in 2008 which involved spitting.
He says that although it's not severe, Dappy has a "history of violence" in his convictions.
"You have, plainly, a temper."
Judge says letters from Dappy's supporters describe him as a "driven, dedicated" individual in his music work and that "to his surprise" he learns of the rapper's financial problems.
Judge Stewart rules that Dappy WILL NOT go to prison.
Dappy is in tears at the news.
Judge Neil Stewart sentences Dappy to two months in prison suspended for 12 months
Judge Stewart also gives Dappy a four-month curfew from 10pm-5am. He also says Dappy must have a 12 month supervision order and to attended a thinking skills programme.
He must also pay £800 compensation to the victim of his Reading assault, an £800 fine and £1,200 costs as well as the surcharge of £80.
Dappy has spoken outside court.
According to Get Surrey, the rapper announced: "I'm very relieved, it's a brand new me."
