Canadian pop star The Weeknd has pleaded no contest to a charge of assaulting a police officer and will therefore avoid jail time, according a new report.

Back in January this year, the singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, made headline when he was alleged to have punched a police officer in the head after the cops arrived at the Cromwell Hotel in Las Vegas, reacting to reports of a disturbance. The officer in question is believed to have separated Tesfaye and the person he was brawling with and dragged him into an elevator, where he then lashed out and struck the officer in the head.

The WeekndThe Weeknd at the MTV VMAs

TMZ indicates that the 25 year old singer will avoid prison as part of the plea, but will have to pay $1,000 to a fund for injured police officers, as well as complete anger management courses and undergo an alcohol evaluation. It’s believed that Tesfaye will also have to perform 50 hours of community service, which the judge in the case will apparently let him complete at a non-profit organisation back in Canada.

More: The Weeknd – ‘Beauty Behind the Madness’ [Album Review]

In other Weeknd news, the celebrated star, who released his fabulously well-received second album Beauty Behind The Madness last month to the second-biggest first week sales in the US in 2015, detailed another alcohol-fuelled encounter – this time with Taylor Swift.

He told Rolling Stone magazine as part of their cover story that Swift displayed an impressive amount of knowledge about his work. “She actually schooled me on my own s***. She was like, ‘I've been listening to ‘The Morning’ [from his first 2011 mixtape House of Balloons] for years — it's one of my favourite songs ever!’ I mean, she might have just Googled it. But she seemed genuine.”

However, things then took a turn for the slightly awkward when Swift apparently started stroking his trademark haircut!

“I think she was just drawn to it — she must have been a little gone off a few drinks... …and of course I'm not going to be like, ‘Hey, can you stop?’ I mean, it felt good! But when she started petting my hair, that's when I was like, ‘I definitely need a drink’.”

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