Chris Brown will be formally sentenced later over his assault against former girlfriend Rihanna.

The R&B singer is expected to avoid jail after his legal team entered a last minute plea deal at a pre-trial hearing last month.

During the same hearing, a judge recommended that Brown receive five years' probation and be ordered to undertake six months of community service.

Brown was charged with assault over the incident between the former couple in Los Angeles in February.

Last month, Judge Patricia Schnegg also ordered Brown to stay a distance of at least 50 yards from Rihanna.

However, it has since emerged that Rihanna did not want Brown to receive the stay away order.

Her lawyer Donald Etra told Entertainment Weekly the singer did not feel the stay away order “was necessary”.

"Rihanna requested that there only be a protective order, namely that Chris be ordered not to annoy, molest, or harass her,” Etra said.

(by Jason Gregory)