Police officials say Rihanna was victim
She is keeping a low profile for now, but it is now clear that her absence from the Grammy Awards was due to boyfriend Chris Brown battering her. TMZ is reporting her injuries were horrific.
As we reported, the photos show major contusions on both sides of the singer’s face — there is serious swelling and bruising. Her lip is split and her nose bloody. We have now confirmed there are bite marks on one of her arms and on several fingers.
And we now know this… Rihanna claims Brown struck her with his fists and that’s what did the damage. There was no object used in the alleged attack.
This story is from Associated Press
Reports: Police officials say Rihanna was victim
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY – 4 hours agoLOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Brown’s ad campaign with Wrigley was suspended Monday until his criminal case is resolved, and reports surfaced that pop superstar Rihanna, his longtime girlfriend and a fellow no-show at the Grammy Awards, was the woman who accused him of assault.
The Los Angeles Times, citing law enforcement officials familiar with the case and other sources it did not name, reported that Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was the woman who told police that Brown had hurt her the night before the Grammy Awards.
A police statement released Sunday afternoon said Brown and an unidentified woman began arguing while riding in a car following a pre-Grammy party where they were spotted together Saturday night. The fight escalated when they got out of the car in the ritzy Hancock Park neighborhood, the report said, and Brown was gone by the time officers arrived.
The report indicated that the woman was injured, but Brown was booked only on suspicion of making a criminal threat, a felony, after walking into a police station Sunday night. Authorities said the district attorney could choose to expand the charges.
Fans of Mr. Brown are casting wild aspersions at Rihanna, saying her story does not add up, calling her a lying ho, she must have done something to provoke him, the usual BS. It sounds as if she is either scared to death of him, or trying to protect him. He does not deserve that fealty. She may be suffering from battered woman syndrome; at least at this point, she does not seem motivated to press charges. I hope she wakes up before he hurts her really badly. The police initially would not confirm Rihanna was the woman Brown battered, citing the law protecting the identity of victims of abuse, but it is hard to believe it could have been anyone else. The TMZ article linked above has a picture of her battered face. This is a serious crime, regardless of whether Rihanna wants to press charges. Chris Brown is a menace. He will not learn his lesson merely by losing his deal with Wrigley.
February 12th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Rihanna is reportedly cooperating with police to build a case against Chris Brown. This may not be the first incident of his brutality. This story is from the San Jose Mercury News
This is from the Sydney Morning Herald
Rihanna may have realized Brown is dangerous by now. If there is a next time, he may indeed kill her. He is out on fifty thousand bail, awaiting a hearing on March 5. Brown is reported to be miserable about this. Perhaps he realizes his career may be ruined. Regardless, he should not be out on such measly bail. Rihanna may not want the book thrown at him, but for her own safety, she should.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:18 am
More details have surfaced about the violent temper of Mr. Brown. This story is from the New York Daily News
Yes, Chris Brown, people are beginning to see your true colors, and it is a sickening sight. Rihanna is reportedly torn over whether to cooperate with the police investigation, and has been telling her friend she still loves Brown, according to this story from the New York Daily News
This screams of battered woman syndrome. Rihanna sounds more concerned about protecting Mr. Brown than herself. She is young and naive, hoping against hope Brown has learned his lesson. Too many women have died from that false hope. Brown has messed up big time, and his career will suffer for it, jail time or not. He may be sorry about that, but if that Facebook posting is accurately quoted, he is blaming her for all this trouble, which means sooner or later, he will seek revenge. If she thinks his rage got out of control this time, she has seen nothing yet. Brown should not be allowed anywhere near her, regardless of how she may still feel about him. Her life is in peril, though she may not be able to believe that, at least not yet.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Chris Brown was scheduled to appear for arraignment tomorrow, but now it looks like that may not happen, which may or may not be due to Rihanna deciding to reconcile with him. Battered woman syndrome may come into play if she refuses to testify against him, since an expert will be substituted. This story is from Entertainment Weekly
No case? What is the police department taking its sweet time investigating? Do they not understand Rihanna has placed her life in great danger? I have read a bunch of disgusted comments about Rihanna from people who clearly have no understanding of battered woman syndrome, but the police department should know better. Why is Chris Brown even free to walk the streets? Ah, I should know better than to expect police to treat this case with the gravity it deserves!
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 am
Chris Brown worked out a last minute plea bargain, pleading guilty to one count of assault on Rihanna, who was about to testify. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg ordered him to stay at least fifty yards away from her, unless they both attend an event, in which case the distance is reduced to ten yards. The restraining order also applies to her. This story is from the Philadelphia Daily News
Chris Brown is getting off easy. He may be sorry, but his temper could flare up at any time. He has proven unable to control himself. His contrition is probably real enough; he has done real damage to his career and reputation. He was facing up to five years in jail if convicted. Even if not, Rihanna was slated to testify, and regardless of her mixed feelings about that, the truth would have made it difficult for even the most diehard Chris Brown fans to sympathize with him. His attack was vicious and inexcusable. He may have learned from this, but any woman who takes up with him will be taking a huge risk. In a sense, that is a risk all heterosexual women take, since there is no telling which men will resort to violence when they get angry, but Chris Brown is a known risk. One can only hope he has learned his lesson.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:52 am
At least Chris Brown will not be getting off with easy community service. Judge Schnegg wants to be sure he does some hard labor. This story is from the New York Daily News
She has forgiven him. This is classic battered woman syndrome. I can only hope the judge denies that request. Mr. Brown may indeed be contrite; he may even have learned a lesson, but that does not mean he will be able to control his temper in the future. It is not necessarily true that once a batterer, always a batterer, and it is also not necessarily true that any man, no matter how seemingly enlightened he may be, is immune to losing control of himself, but she risks too much by trusting this man.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Chris Brown was sentenced today. Some details have surfaced of his prior abuse of Rihanna. This story is from the LA Now blog at the Los Angeles Times
I heard some live coverage of the verdict. Judge Schnegg alluded to rumors she had heard when she attempted to make very clear to Chris Brown that he was not to violate the restraining order.
Mr. Brown seemed to be contrite and anxious to get this over with, but it is hard to imagine that restraining order will never be violated, since Rihanna seems unlikely to report a violation unless she feels she is in danger. Battered woman syndrome can be fatal; the woman feels she owes the man another chance, and that is quite likely to result in serious injury or death. Chris Brown may have learned his lesson, and he will have to attend domestic violence counseling for a year, but I urge Rihanna to take the wisdom of Judge Schnegg to heart. No matter how she may feel Mr. Brown should be forgiven, given another chance, to trust him may be the last mistake Rihanna ever makes.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I agree, Alethea. Forgiving him for herself is one thing, but giving him another chance is another.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:53 am
Rihanna seems to have wised up. In her interview on Good Morning America, she says she regrets having given Chris Brown another chance, that she had set a bad example for women. This story is from ABC News
Love can be blinding, certainly, but it does not have to be that way. Rihanna has learned a great deal, recovering from battered woman syndrome. This does not mean she will never be involved with another violent man again; no woman, no matter how wary and careful she is, can be sure a man will not turn violent. Usually there are warning signs, but not always, and as she says, love can induce a woman to lie to herself, give the man the benefit of the doubt. No woman wants to believe the man she loves will beat her up. When it happens, it is all too easy to think it was a fluke, that the man is sincerely sorry and will not do it again. That is possible, but unlikely. He may be sincerely sorry, but the weakness in his character that let his violent streak manifest is more likely to reassert itself with worse consequences than to fix itself. As she said, trusting such a man to have learned from his mistake can get a woman killed. That may sound extreme, but battering is more likely to escalate than to be a fluke. Male contrition may be sincere, but that does not mean it will last. Men are used to settling disputes through physical fights, though when men fight amongst themselves, generally neither is defenseless, so there is some semblance of a fair fight. When men batter women, there is no such pretense, only the reversion to the concept of women as male property, to be disciplined into proper submission. This is now illegal, at least in nations where women have rights, but that does not mean men have learned to respect women as equals, and it does not take much for an angry man to revert to brutality.