Bobby Brown's tough façade was shattered in a Florida courtroom on Thursday as he buried his face in his hands and began sobbing after he was convicted of drunk driving. The "My Prerogative" singer and husband of pop diva Whitney Houston was ordered by Judge Leonard Feiner to spend five days in jail, undergo thirty days of drug and alcohol rehab, attend DUI school, submit to random drug and alcohol testing, and record a series of anti-alcohol public service messages. Brown also was fined $500, was ordered to serve one hundred hours of community service, and received a year's suspension of his license and a year's probation. Houston, who was in the courtroom as the verdict was read, also broke into tears. "It ain't justice," Brown shouted as he was taken from the courtroom in handcuffs. He was later released on a $15,000 appeal bond.

It took jurors only about an hour before convicting the thirty-year-old singer of two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence and property damage. Brown broke four ribs and a foot when he crashed a black Porsche leased to Houston into some hedges and a street sign near Fort Lauderdale in August 1996. He was the only one injured in the wreck. According to prosecutors, Brown blew a .22 percent when given a breathalyzer test, nearly three times Florida's .08 percent limit. Blood tests also showed the presence of drugs. Brown's attorney, Robert Buonauro, who criticized the handling of the blood evidence and the police motives in waiting four months to charge his client, said he plans to appeal the verdict. Brown, who hit it big with his 1988 album Don't Be Cruel, saw his recently released Forever bomb, selling fewer than 60,000 copies.