Whitney’s husband to stand trial

BOBBY Brown has been ordered to stand trial on charges of assaulting his star wife Whitney Houston.

The R&B singer is charged with battery for allegedly striking Houston at their home in Alpharetta, Georgia in December, leaving her with a bruised cheek and a cut lip.

In Atlanta Judge Barry Zimmerman ruled there was enough evidence to go to trial. Brown was ordered to turn himself in on July 10 or 11 for fingerprinting, when he would be released on bail. No date was set for the trial.

The judge warned Brown not to have “violent contact” with Houston.

Brown and Houston smiled during last night’s brief hearing, and left the court arm-in-arm. They made no comment. Brown’s lawyer, Maurice Bennett, said the judge’s decision was expected. Simple battery is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The charge is usually dismissed on a first offence in a domestic violence case.

“It could be as much as a year down the road,” said court clerk Lanny Lipsky.

Houston told police on December 7 that Brown “struck the left side of her face with an open right hand”, a police report said.

The 35-year-old singer recently described the incident as a “little spat”.

Brown and Houston, 40, married in 1992 and have a 10-year-old daughter.