News

Singer Bobby Brown has asked a judge in California to reopen the question of custody over the daughter he has with his ex-wife Whitney Houston.

Ms Houston was awarded sole custody of the couple’s 14 year-old daughter back in April.

Mr Brown’s lawyer Stacy Phillips said she believed the couple, who divorced in April after 14 years of marriage, were now “working on their marriage”.

Judge Claudia Silas said she would hear from both sides before deciding.

‘Decision making’

Mr Brown claimed Ms Houston has kept him from seeing their daughter.

In court filings released last week he said he deserved custody because he had been her primary carer.

In April Ms Houston told a Californian court that Mr Brown was “unreliable” and their daughter could not depend on him.

Speaking to US entertainment website People, he said: “I just miss my daughter.

“The goal is to see her a lot more and to be involved in the decision making in her life, the places she goes, the people she hangs out with. All of that.”

Ms Houston’s lawyer, Stephen Kolodny, said Mr Brown could contest the custody award or make arrangements to visit his daughter.

The couple wed in 1992, when Ms Houston was at the height of her fame as a Grammy-winning star known for hits such as I Will Always Love You.

Mr Brown, a former member of New Edition, gained solo fame with singles such as Don’t Be Cruel and My Prerogative.

The pair’s tempestuous marriage was marred by prison sentences for Mr Brown and stints in drug rehabilitation clinics for Ms Houston.

Lawyers for both sides must decide whether the stars should testify by video or appear in person.

A court date has been set for 22 October.