A court in Stuttgart sentenced Coolio - real name Artis Ivey - to six months probation and fined him 50,000 Deutschmarks (£18,000) after convicting him of being an accessory to robbery and assault.

The Grammy-award winning artist and six members of his band, the 40 Thieves, were accused of leaving the boutique in the Stuttgart suburb last November with clothing worth 1,500 DM (£545).

Coolio, 35, denied punching the woman and said the incident was a misunderstanding.

He said he had signed autographs in the boutique the previous day, and in exchange a clothing company had promised him and his group free outfits.

Earlier on Thursday, the court travelled to the shop in Boeblingen for a re-enactment of the incident.

Coolio has already paid the boutique owner 5,000 marks (£1,800) damages. He had been facing a maximum sentence of four years.

Four members of Coolio's group, who were also charged but did not show up for trial, have had warrants for their arrest issued.