A$AP Rocky Found Guilty In Swedish Assault Case But Won't Be Sent Back To Jail

Rapper A$AP Rocky has been found guilty of assault following a street fight in Stockholm, Sweden earlier this summer.

In the conclusion of a case that sparked international attention, the Stockholm District Court convicted Rocky on Wednesday and handed down a conditional sentence stipulating a two-year probationary period, CNN reports.

Rocky was arrested in connection to the June 30 brawl in early July and was held in Swedish custody until the completion of his trial on Aug. 5, at which point he was released pending the verdict. Prosecutors asked for a six-month stint, but the rapper will not be returning to jail, however, as the court ruled on Wednesday that the assault was not “of such a serious nature” to require more time behind bars, according to NBC News.

While he may have avoided more jail time, the 30-year-old rapper, born Rakim Mayers, will also be held financially responsible for the fracas, with the court ordering him and his two co-defendants, who were also convicted, to pay the alleged victim’s lawyer fees of close to $8,400, CNN reports. The victim in question, 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari, was also awarded $1,300 “for violation of his integrity and pain and suffering,” according to the outlet.

A$AP Rocky Photo: Getty Images

Rocky and his team have previously claimed that the rapper and his companions acted in self-defense and accused Jafari and another man of following and harassing them. During his testimony earlier this month, Jafari claimed that he was attacked after approaching the group and asking if they’d seen his friend. He claimed to have been beaten and hit with a broken bottle, but the court ruled on Wednesday that there was not enough evidence to support that particular claim, according to CNN.

However, the judgment did not support Rocky’s self-defense claim either, according to The New York Times.

“Based on two witness statements, the court finds the defendants were not subject to imminent attack,” the judgment reportedly reads. “Therefore, the defendants were not entitled to use violence in self-defense.”

The rapper’s case became a hot topic for those within the entertainment industry, and later caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who was reportedly encouraged to step in by reality TV star and budding prison reform activist Kim Kardashian. Trump’s attempts to secure Rocky’s freedom were largely unsuccessful, however, with the prime minister of Sweden stating publicly that the country’s government does not interfere in the judicial system.

Following Wednesday’s verdict, Rocky’s lawyer, Slobodan Jovicic, told The Times that he and his client are “disappointed,” but could not confirm if Rocky would seek to appeal the ruling, as he had not yet spoken to him.

“The question is whether he’ll have the energy and stamina to do this one more time given all the circus around it,” he said.