Bobby Brown ordered back to jail

Singer Bobby Brown will serve nine more days in jail after being arrested for violating probation from an earlier drink-driving conviction, a judge has ruled.

The sentence would be followed by 60 days of house arrest, DeKalb County State Court Judge Wayne Purdom said.

During the hearing, Brown told the judge: “I apologise for being back in your court and taking your time. I have no reason, I am a human being.”

Brown, 33, was ordered to undergo another drug assessment and sentenced to a total of 14 days in the DeKalb County Jail. But the judge credited Brown for the five days already spent behind bars since his arrest on Friday.

His wife, diva Whitney Houston, arrived half way through the hearing and sat two rows behind Brown, answering a mobile phone call during defence lawyer Maurice Bennett’s presentation. The Grammy-winning singer and actress told reporters afterwards that she had told Brown to “stay strong, baby”.

Brown, a former member of New Edition whose solo hits include My Prerogative, was arrested in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta last week at a seafood restaurant, where he was dining with his wife.

Although authorities said Houston angrily confronted police during her husband’s arrest, she appeared calm in court yesterday, hugging and kissing him to show support.

Authorities say Brown was arrested because he failed to show up for a court appearance.

His lawyers said he failed to check in with a probation officer because he was suffering from an elbow injury in July that kept him bedridden and was mourning the loss of seven family members.

They argued that he had complied with a court order and completed 80 hours of community service in California. But the judge said Brown would get credit for only 40 hours because the order specified the service was to be done in Georgia.

Prosecutors called Brown a repeat offender and recommended a lengthier prison sentence. In January, Brown was sentenced to eight days in jail and ordered not to drive for a year after pleading guilty to a 1996 drink-driving charge in DeKalb County.

Last November, he was arrested in Atlanta on charges of possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, speeding and having no driver’s licence or proof of insurance. He also did a 26-day stint in a Florida jail in 2000 for a previous probation violation.

After yesterday’s hearing, Houston said she was pleased with the judge’s decision.