STOCKHOLM • Judges in Stockholm found American rapper A$AP Rocky - whose troubles in Sweden generated a lot of sympathy for him in the United States - guilty of assault. But he will not serve any more jail time, having already spent more than a month in a Swedish detention centre.

Prosecutors sought a six-month sentence for Rocky for his part in a street brawl in Stockholm on June 30 that left a 19-year-old man needing medical treatment. But a panel of four judges found that the incident was not so "serious" that a prison sentence "must be chosen".

Rocky, 30, said during the trial that he acted in self-defence when he threw the man, Mr Mustafa Jafari, to the ground and then, with two members of his entourage, punched and kicked him.

The man had harassed the rapper's entourage and thrown a punch at his bodyguard just before the attack, Rocky said.

The judges found his defence unconvincing. "Based on two witness statements, the court finds the defendants were not subject to imminent attack," the judgment said.

Rocky's co-defendants, Bladimir Emilio Corniel and David Tyrone Rispers, received the same verdict and sentence. All three were ordered to pay Mr Jafari damages. The court awarded 12,500 Swedish kronor (S$1,805) for pain, insult and injuries.

Though the sentence represented a victory of sorts for Rocky, his lawyer said he was disappointed by the conviction. He was not sure if the rapper will file an appeal.

NYTIMES