Dappy arrested and charged with assault outside a nightclub in Essex
The Celebrity Big Brother runner-up will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on 19 March
Dappy has been arrested and charged with assault after a scuffle outside a nightclub in Essex.
An Essex police spokesman confirmed that the former N-Dubz star – real name Costadinos Contostavlos – had been taken into custody in the early hours of Thursday morning and subsequently charged with "assault by beating".
The alleged attack occurred after his performance Chicago’s Nightclub in Chelmsford, Essex the same evening.
A source close to the star has since claimed that Dappy had "acted in self-defence".
"He has been released on bail prior to his appearance at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on 19 March,"the police spokesperson added.
However, the rapper carried on as normal, even tweeting the following after the tumultuous event:
The news follows reports that the Celebrity Big Brother runner-up narrowly avoided bankruptcy after paying off a £140,000 tax bill.
An HM Revenue and Customs official informed a High Court judge at a two-minute hearing that the musician had now paid the outstanding amount in full.
Dappy is thought to have earned more than £100,000 from his stint on the reality TV show.
Of course, this isn’t the first time the star has had a run-in with the law. He was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for 18 months, after being found guilty of assault and affray in January 2013.
He was also asked to pay £4,500 in compensation and £2,000 in costs for his part in a fight at a petrol station in February 2012.
A spokesperson for Dappy declined to comment.