R&B singer Chris Brown has denied he was due to perform at the BET Awards on Sunday (28Jun09) amid rumours he was dumped from the bill over his recent assault case.

Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna in a court hearing on 22 June (09). He was handed a community service order and five years supervised probation as well as being told to stay away from the Umbrella hitmaker.

The star was reportedly due to take the stage at the BET Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, which fell just a week after Brown's controversial court appearance. But his performance was rumoured to have been scrapped because of his recent legal wranglings - at the insistence of Rihanna's musical mentor Jay-Z.

A source tells the New York Daily News, "Jay is a big name in the BET community, and he was very vocal about his displeasure with Chris attending the ceremony. He didn’t want Chris anywhere near the awards so close to the court’s ruling.”

But a spokesman for Brown has denied he was ever booked to play at the glitzy show.

The rep tells New York Post gossip column, "That's not true - he was never confirmed to perform."