There has been a whirlwind of news coming out of Sweden after A$AP Rocky's trial began this week. The Harlem rapper has been behind bars in the country for a month and he's facing the possibility of spending two years in prison for assault. Yesterday, Rocky gave his side of the story in court and today, his bodyguard spoke to the jury, giving his perspective and praying that all three men that were arrested get out safely. Here are the updates from today, shout to Complex.
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Today is expected to be the final day in Rocky's trial and thus, we're anticipating a sentence in the next few hours. However, there is a possibility that things get pushed back until early next week. This morning, Rocky was in court wearing a suit, which marks a different attire from the past few days. He had previously worn a green custody uniform.
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A witness to the alleged assault was at the stand, explaining that he saw Rocky throw Mustafa Jafari on the sidewalk. He said that he did not believe that the rapper and his team were afraid, as they had previously remarked in court. He also noted that he does not believe they acted out of self-defense.
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After the witness stepped down, Rocky's bodyguard took the stand and explained that he was wearing some tour merch inside-out in an attempt to go unrecognized. Rocky was apparently interested in looking at the Swedish architecture that day and didn't want to be bothered. When the assault accuser approached him, he says he realized something wasn't right and that his eyes were "glossy." After telling the man to go away several times, he physically tried to push him away when the alleged victim threw his headphones at the bodyguard. That's when things allegedly turned "hostile."
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The bodyguard explained that because Rocky "makes a lot of money," he is usually approached by passersby on the street, which is why he hires security. According to him, Rocky stepping in to intervene is regular protocol. He also said that Rocky would have had his back if the same thing had happened to him.
Once all witnesses were finished speaking, the prosecutors requested that the rapper be sentenced to six months in prison, explaining that anything other than prison time would be unacceptable. Rocky is also still being considered a flight risk.
We'll keep you updated with any sentencing news.
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