Going into Monday’s criminal hearing for R&B singer Chris Brown , the buzz at the court house centered on the possible testimony of Rihanna , who was Brown’s girlfriend in February when he assaulted her in a rented Lamborghini on the eve of the Grammy Awards. But Rihanna and Chris Brown never faced off in court.

Instead, Brown pleaded guilty to assault and left the court room through the front entrance. Moments later, Rihanna was shown into the court through the back door. She was dressed all in black, and came in wearing sunglasses and pearls around her neck. She set a black hand bag down on a chair, took off her sunglasses and stood listening as Los Angeles Judge Patricia Schnegg explained the terms of the stay-away order she had just issued against Brown. 

Schnegg told Rihanna that the order is “really two-ways,” meaning that Rihanna must stay away from Brown just as he must stay away from her. She also said that the two must remain at least 50 yards apart, which is reduced to 10 yards if the two are attending the same public event. Schnegg also told Rihanna that, after Brown completes his required domestic violence courses, if the pop diva wants to make the terms of the stay-away order less restrictive, the judge would consider that.

Minutes before, Rihanna’s attorney Donald Etra had told the judge that his client would be happy with a less restrictive protective order, which does not set a specific distance that Rihanna and Brown must be apart. Schnegg opted for the stay-away order instead, but did not say why she set that standard.

 Media reports that came out three weeks after Brown struck Rihanna indicated that the couple had reunited after the incident. But in recent weeks the two have not spent any time together in the public, and all indications are that they have broken up.

Both Brown and Rihanna showed little emotion during the court hearing. Before leaving, Rihanna simply told the judge, “Thank you, your honor.”

With the out-of-court settlement between Brown and prosecutors, there was no need for Rihanna to testify, and it seems that all parties involved wanted to avoid having her take the stand to recount Brown’s attack.

After pleading guilty, Brown faces five years of probation, but he avoids a sentence of more than four years in jail. The L.A. District Attorney’s Office and Rihanna’s attorney all said they were pleased with the sentence. Was Brown lucky to avoid jail time? Or did he get the sentence he deserved?

If “Batman” actor Christian Bale, who’s in Tokyo promoting blockbuster “The Dark Knight”, was hoping for a reprieve from being dogged by assault allegations made by his mother and sister, he came to the wrong place.

Since making a public appearance in the Japanese capital on Monday, the 34-year-old Welsh-born performer has been asked by reporters about the allegations, which he has already denied after spending several hours at a London police station last week before being released without charge. 

“It’s a private matter,” he said at a red carpet event for the Batman movie which has smashed box office records in North America. And even though reporters had been told to focus their questions on the movie by the organisers of a Tokyo press conference, a nervous looking Bale still got queried by a Japanese journalist who wanted to know if Bale was ”okay” following the allegations.  

“It’s a private matter,” he said again. Maybe this time people will believe him.