CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
A leaked photo of Rihanna’s bloodied face is not relevant to the assault arrest of her former boyfriend, Chris Brown, a judge said Thursday.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg described the leak of what appears to be a police evidence photo to the gossip site TMZ.com as “not a good thing” and possibly a crime, but she brushed aside suggestions by Brown’s attorney that it affected evidence to be presented against the R&B; singer at a preliminary hearing next month.
Brown did not attend the brief proceeding.
The 19-year-old has pleaded not guilty to assault and criminal threat charges stemming from a Feb. 8 incident in which Rihanna, 21, alleges he beat, punched and bit her as she rode in his rented Lamborghini.
Subsequently the photo of the pop star, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, appeared online, and the Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation to determine whether an employee sold or released the picture.
The probe is ongoing.
-- Harriet Ryan
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