Rihanna has attended court for the first time in support of her partner A$AP Rocky – as his former friend gave evidence about the moment the star allegedly fired a gun in his direction.

The superstar singer, who has two toddler sons with the rapper, sat next to his mother and sister, out of view of the Los Angeles criminal courtroom’s cameras on Wednesday.

Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is on trial accused of firing a handgun at his former friend Terell Ephron, known as A$AP Relli.

He has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

Before the trial began last week, the star’s lawyers said there was a possibility Rihanna may attend at some point to show support, as the court weighed up any potential impact of her celebrity on the case.

When jurors were selected, prosecutors asked whether Rihanna’s connection, especially if she appeared in the courtroom, would affect their decisions.

Nearly half of the initial group said they had heard of A$AP Rocky before coming to court, while nearly all said they had heard of Rihanna. All said they felt it would not have an impact.

It was not clear whether the jury could see Rihanna or were aware of her presence as they watched the testimony. She entered with the help of security before reporters arrived in court, according to US media reports, and was not seen with Rocky outside.

She also left separately through a restricted exit, according to the Associated Press news agency.

The star, known for hits including Umbrella, Diamonds and Work, was in court as Ephron, the trial’s key witness, began his evidence.

Who is the key witness and what has he testified?

Ephron and Rocky were members of the A$AP crew of creators at a New York high school, the court has previously heard.

They were once close but their relationship broke down after Rocky became famous, Ephron said.

Rocky allegedly fired the gun at him on a street in Hollywood in 2021.

Giving evidence, Ephron said he had been shouting angrily at the rapper, who was walking away after an initial confrontation and a scuffle.

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Rocky then pulled a gun from his waistband and held it in the air, Ephron testified.

“He turned around and then it was like BOOM!” he told the jury. “The whole thing was like a movie, he kind of like pointed down and he shot the first shot.”

He said his hand felt “hot” and added: “I was hit. Or I was grazed. I didn’t have a hole or nothing.”

Ephron said he grabbed a mutual friend after he alleged the first shot was fired and stood behind him for protection. He said he did not see Rocky fire a second shot, and that the rapper ran away moments later.

What have Rocky’s lawyers argued?

Rocky’s lawyer previously told the court the gun was not real – that the rapper fired shots from a starter pistol he carried as a prop.

Ephron knew this, he said. However, when questioned about it in court, Ephron said: “Oh it was a real gun”.

The court heard he has received death threats since the incident and that his career in music management has dwindled.

“It’s been a living hell,” Ephron said.

From court to Grammys

Rocky was raised in Harlem and had his mainstream breakthrough when his first studio album topped the Billboard 200 in 2013. The second, released in 2015, did the same.

His career was set to take off even further in 2025 – starting with his third Grammy nomination at this year’s awards ceremony, which takes place on Sunday.

The rapper is also set to headline the Rolling Loud Music Festival, will star opposite Denzel Washington in a crime drama directed by Spike Lee, and is also the co-chair of the Met Gala fashion event in May.

He faces up to 24 years in prison if convicted.

The trial continues.

This year’s famous Super Bowl half-time show needs to be more “family friendly”, a group of critics has said – following what they describe as “vulgar” past performances by Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna, and the infamous Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction”.

Republican politicians and campaigners in Louisiana have written a letter to organisers raising “serious concerns” ahead of this year’s Super Bowl, which is due to take place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in February.

Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar will headline the half-time show.

In a letter signed by 17 Republican senators and representatives for Louisiana, as well as 15 pro-family organisations, critics called out Lopez‘s performance alongside Shakira in Florida in 2020, saying the star “wore little clothing and was groped by male and female dancers on stage”, and also “made sexually suggestive gestures and performed on a stripper pole”.

Criticising Rihanna‘s performance at the 2023 half-time show in Arizona – when the star revealed she was pregnant with her second child – they said she was shown “groping herself” while singing lyrics “that were so offensive that few Louisiana adults could read those lyrics before an audience without shame”.

The letter continued: “We realize that these past vulgar performances may have been acceptable to the residents of those states where those Super Bowls were held but, in Louisiana, these lewd acts are inappropriate for viewing by children, objectify women, and are simply NOT welcomed by the majority of Louisiana parents.”

Read more: What you need to know about the Super Bowl

‘It would have violated obscenity law’

Jackson‘s performance with Justin Timberlake in Texas in 2004, during which he exposed one of her breasts, was also highlighted.

“Had that 2004 performance taken place in Louisiana and been proven to be intentional, it would have violated Louisiana’s obscenity law,” the letter said.

CBS, which aired that year’s Super Bowl, was fined $550,000 by the Federal Communications Commission over the incident – but this was later overturned.

In 2021, following the release of the Framing Britney Spears documentary, which included details of Timberlake’s relationship with the star and their break-up, conversation around his Super Bowl performance with Jackson was also reignited.

At the time of the incident, Jackson bore the brunt of the criticism, while Timberlake’s solo career flourished. In 2021, Timberlake issued an apology, saying: “I specifically want to apologise to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”

The Republicans’ letter did not mention Timberlake but said Jackson’s “exposed bare breast was excused by one of her fellow performers as a ‘wardrobe malfunction’.”

Super Bowl half-time performances have become “increasingly vile”, it continued, and therefore it could be “reasonably anticipated that the half-time performance this year in New Orleans will be inappropriate for children to watch”.

Sky News has contacted the celebrities for a response to the criticism.

Senator Valarie Hodges, who signed the letter and shared details on X, said: “My hope is that Louisiana can set an example for future hosting states of the Super Bowl in advocating for entertainment suitable for viewers of all ages without needing a content rating.”

It has also been shared by the Family Research Council. President Tony Perkins, a former Louisiana state representative who is also one of the signatories, said their complaint was “not only about protecting children, important as that is, but also upholding community standards”.

The letter is addressed to Phillip Sherman, chairman of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, and Robert Vosbein Jr, chairman of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which oversees the superdrome venue.

In a statement sent to Sky News, Jay Cicero, president and chief executive of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, said: “We respect and value the comments of our legislators, who play a critical role in our ability to secure large events providing an economic boost to our city and state.

“We have shared the letter with the NFL and we are all in agreement that this year’s half-time show will be a family-friendly event befitting New Orleans’ storied history hosting Super Bowls.”

Mr Vosbein told the Louisiana Illuminator news outlet it was “unfortunate” Ms Hodges had waited until less than a few weeks before the event to share her concerns.

Sky News has contacted both organisations for comment.

Love Island winner Jack Fincham has been released on bail pending an appeal – hours after being jailed for his cane corso dog attacking a man while he was running.

The 32-year-old had pleaded guilty at Southend Magistrates’ Court to two counts of being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog, with one of the incidents causing injury.

As well as being jailed for six weeks, he was ordered to pay £3,680 in total, including a £2,000 contribution to kennelling costs, a fine of £961 and £200 compensation.

But after being sentenced at the court on Wednesday, it emerged he had successfully lodged an appeal and had been granted conditional bail.

Fincham’s solicitor told Sky News District Judge Williams heard the bail application in open court.

After the sentence was announced, Fincham gave a thumbs up as he was led to the cells, as a woman in the public gallery cried.

The court heard his dog Elvis bit a runner in his home town of Swanley, Kent, in September 2022.

Fincham was going to be cautioned and take part in a responsible dog ownership course after the man accepted an apology, said prosecutor Erin Peck. Conditions were made including that his dog must be muzzled, she added.

However, in June last year, there was a second incident in Grays, Essex, when the dog was out of control. Fincham was later charged.

Presiding magistrate Anne Wade, sentencing, originally said Fincham was subject to a suspended sentence order at the time of the incident in Swanley. This was for 12 weeks custody, suspended for 18 months, for an unrelated driving matter.

Ms Wade said this order would be activated in part and issued the six-week prison sentence.

“The dog was in a public place not abiding by the conditions to be muzzled and kept on a lead,” she said.

Richard Cooper, representing Fincham, said the defendant had “no savings” to pay the £3,680.

Ms Wade said he could pay in instalments, initially at £400 per month.

She made an order that the dog must be muzzled in public places, be kept on a lead, and not be left alone with anyone under the age of 16.

Fincham rose to fame after winning the fourth series of Love Island with his then-girlfriend Dani Dyer in 2018. The pair were favourites throughout the series after being “coupled up” from the start.

They announced their break-up six months after leaving the show’s villa in Majorca.