A$AP Rocky freed from Swedish custody ahead of assault trial ruling
On Friday, a Swedish court ruled that American rapper A$AP Rocky (whose real name is Rakim Mayers) and his two associates could await the judgement of their alleged assault trial in the United States, which will be delivered on August 14, CNN reports.
Mayers, 30, 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.
"In a punitive self-defense situation, the violence must still be proportionate. Here we have three people delivering kicks and punches to a person lying down," Suneson said to the court in his closing remarks, before asking for a prison sentence of six months in jail – though the maximum penalty for the crime under Swedish law is two years.
President Donald Trump, who has previously advocated for Mayers' freedom at the request of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian-West, reacted to the news of the rapper's freeing on twitter, saying "It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!"
The rapper himself also posted a note about it on Instagram, thanking his fans for all of their support.
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