A$AP Rocky released by Swedish court pending verdict after trial

The rapper was charged with assaulting a 19-year-old man in Stockholm

A$AP Rocky (R) leaves the district court in Stockholm. EPA

A Swedish court released A$AP Rocky as it deliberates on the verdict in a trial alleging the US rapper assaulted a man in Stockholm, a decision that could ease tension between Sweden and US President Donald Trump who has been arguing for his release.

After a three-day trial, the Stockholm District Court on Friday said A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, should be released from the Stockholm jail where he has been held since July 2. The verdict will be announced on August 14 the court said in a statement.

The rapper was detained for his role in a street fight the night of June 30 and was charged with assault along with two associates. In police interrogations and at the trial, A$AP Rocky admitted kicking and punching a 19-year-old man who followed his entourage on the streets of Stockholm, but claimed self-defence. The two associates were also released by the court.

The prosecutor, Daniel Suneson, in his closing statement on Friday argued that Rocky should be given a six-month prison sentence and also kept in custody pending a verdict, according to Dagens Nyheter.

“The fact that they are released from detention means that the District Court has assessed that there are no longer grounds for detention," Mr Suneson said in a statement. "I do not want to speculate on whether they will be convicted or acquitted."

The rapper’s situation has become a cause celebre among Hollywood elite and prompted Mr Trump to try to intervene. After tweeting his support for A$AP Rocky and offering Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to “personally vouch” for the rapper, the US president later lambasted Sweden’s government for not forcing prosecutors to free A$AP Rocky.

Mr Trump also dispatched his special envoy on hostages, Robert C O’Brien, to oversee the proceedings.

Sweden doesn’t have a bail system. The constitution also bars politicians from interfering in legal cases since the judiciary is completely independent.

Following the court’s decision, Mr Trump tweeted: “A$AP Rocky released from prison and on his way home to the United States from Sweden. It was a Rocky Week, get home ASAP A$AP!”