After being detained in Sweden, a Swedish court finally ruled that American rapper A$AP Rocky and his two associates could await the judgment of their alleged assault trial in the United States.
A$AP Rocky has been in custody since July 3 for “assault causing actual bodily harm” against a 19-year-old man, Mustafa Jafari, in Stockholm on June 30. The rapper and his associates pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense.
However, Swedish Prosecutor Daniel Suneson told the Stockholm District Court that he has proven those claims of self-defense are phony.
The Whole Story
Stockholm public prosecutor Daniel Suneson announced that the rapper and two other men were arrested on July 2 and will be tried for “assault causing actual bodily harm.”
“I have today commenced criminal proceedings against the three individuals suspected of assault causing actual bodily harm, having come to the conclusion that the events in question constitute a crime,” Suneson said in a statement, adding that he’d reached his decision “despite claims of self-defense and provocation.”
He continued, “In reaching this conclusion, I have studied the videos made available to the inquiry. It is worth noting that I have had access to a greater amount of material than that which has previously been available on the internet. In addition to video material, the injured party’s statements have been supported by witness statements.”
If convicted, the rapper could face up to two years in jail — although this is unlikely.
“Assault causing actual bodily harm can give up to two years of imprisonment,” the public prosecutor told PEOPLE. “In this case, it’s not going to be on that level, however.”
The Trail
The trial will also rely heavily on eye-witness accounts, alongside video footage and the Court will also decide if the proceedings will be open to the public, according to the public prosecutor.
“There were initially two injured parties in the case; however, the allegations concerning one of these were dropped due to insufficient supporting evidence,” Suneson said. “The prosecution I have now brought therefore relates to only one injured party.
He continued, “A counter allegation was also made against one of the injured parties by the artist’s bodyguard. This case was investigated and closed on 22 July.”
