Busta Rhymes On Trial For Assault

27 March 2007

Rapper Busta Rhymes will stand trial on two charges of assault after a New York judge withdrew a plea offer that would see Busta go free.

The plea bargain made by the court included a probationary period with community service and a series of lectures to troubled kids. The presiding judge withdrew the offer after reviewing Busta's past file, having been charged for driving with a suspended license recently.

Busta is accused of beating up his former driver, Edward Hatchett, "with a closed fist about the head and neck", over a pay dispute.

The second charge is over the assault of a fan at the AmsterJam Music Festival last August.