Chris Brown could face jail time for owning a pet monkey, it has been reported.

The singer used to own a baby capuchin monkey called Fiji, who has appeared on his social media accounts. However, it appears he did not obtain a permit to own the animal.

According to TMZ, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office has charged Brown with two counts of owning a restricted species without a permit. The maximum sentence for the charge is six months in jail.

Brown was forced to give up ownership of the monkey after people viewing his photos and videos of it online reported him to the authorities. At the time his lawyer, Mark Geragos, told TMZ: “As I leave my office in Downtown LA and walk past people sleeping on the street on my way to defend people charged by the City Attorney with selling medical marijuana… now spending taxpayer money on investigating monkey business, this completes the circle on his absurdity.”

The star is due in court for sentencing on February 6. See photos and videos of Brown’s former pet below.

The RSPCA warn against keeping capuchins as pets, saying: “Capuchins, like other primates, don’t make good pets. In a home environment, they become unhappy and can become aggressive. They need the company of other capuchins and lots of space for exercise. These needs simply cannot be met in a home environment. 

“When kept as pets capuchins will often suffer from life-threatening and expensive health problems as they need a specialist diet to meet all of their nutritional needs.”

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