Chris Brown forced to postpone gigs in Australia and New Zealand

It is believed that the R&B singer’s Visa application was denied

The R&B singer has had repeated run ins with the law (Getty Images)

R&B singer Chris Brown has been forced to pull out of the Australian and New Zealand legs of his tour.

“Mr Brown and the promoters both remain positive that the tour will take place in the near future,” according to a post on the website of the Rod Laver arena, just 12 days before he was due to perform.

It is believed that the Run It singer’s Visa application was denied, although The Independent could not verify this.

“Mr Brown wishes to express his deepest gratitude to the fans for their support and looks forward to a successful tour in the near future,” the post added.

Brown has his visa application formally denied by Australian immigration minister Peter Dutton in September, having previously played there twice since 2009, the year in which he pleaded guilty to assaulting pop singer Rihanna, who was then his girlfriend.

At the time Australia’s Minister for Women Michaelia Cash had made “strong recommendations” that Brown’s visa should be denied, to Dutton.

“My strong recommendation would be: If you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel the world, there are going to be countries that say to you: ‘You cannot come in because you are not of the character that we expect in Australia,’” Cash said at the time.

Brown has had repeated run ins with the law in his native America and was sentenced to five years of probation for assaulting Rihanna.

Since then he has violated the terms of his probation on several occasions. In 2013, Brown was charged with a misdemeanour when he and his bodyguard got into a brawl outside a Washington DC hotel.

Earlier this year he was forced to cancel shows in Montreal and Toronto after Canadian officials stopped him from entering the country.

Brown was also denied entry to the UK in 2010, forcing him to miss four shows. The British Government said that the singer had been refused a visa because of his past criminal record.

The Rod Laver Arena said full refunds would be available.