R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty in Los Angeles Superior Court to a charge of felony assault against his former girlfriend and fellow singer Rihanna, avoiding jail time.

Brown, 20, will receive probation for five years and will do six months of community service when he is sentenced later this year, the LA Times reports.

Guilty, Brown said at the courthouse on Monday, the New York Daily News reported.

Brown is also forbidden to come any closer than 50 yards of Rihanna. An exception is unless they are at a public event, where he must stay 40 yards away from her, according to the newspaper.

The former couple were caught up in a scandal when in February they fought in Brown's car and he assaulted her as they were driving home. Rihanna was left with bruises and battered.