Whitney's husband jailed
2003-01-18 13:20
Washington - Rapper Bobby Brown, husband of pop diva Whitney Houston, was sentenced to eight days in jail and ordered not to drive for one year after pleading guilty in a Georgia courtroom Friday to a drunk driving charge.
The judge presiding over the case in the DeKalb County, Georgia, court also ordered Brown to perform 240 hours of community service, pay $2 000 in fines and$ 800 in court costs and to get counselling. He is to remain on probation for two years, the judge said.
Previous drunk driving charge
Brown, 33, has gained a measure of notoriety for his reputedly tumultuous marriage to Houston, who was not in the courtroom on Friday.
The judge had issued a warrant for Brown's arrest earlier in the week because the singer left Georgia in violation of his bond to perform at the American Music Awards Monday in Los Angeles.
"Mr. Brown, you can't know from your position how tempting it is in this case to just throw the book at you," Purdom said on Friday.
Brown has spent time behind bars before, having served 26 days in a Florida jail in 2000 for violating parole on a 1996 drunk driving conviction by default when he refused to submit to a blood alcohol test.
In a well-publicised television interview last month he admitted using marijuana but insists he smokes pot in moderation to alleviate what he calls a is bipolar disorder. "It helps me to keep ... a level in my life,"
In the same interview, the Grammy Award winning Houston admitted using a smorgasbord of illegal drugs and hinted she nearly died from overdoses, adding that she was also addicted to sex.
Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer that she was addicted to sex and insists she will stick with hubby Bobby Brown despite their stormy 10-year marriage. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA