( CNN ) -- British officials , citing worries that singer Chris Brown might pose a danger to British citizens , barred him from entering the United Kingdom for concerts this week , a UK border official said . Brown pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge of assaulting his then-girlfriend , pop star Rihanna . `` We reserve the right to refuse entry to the UK to anyone guilty of a serious criminal offense , '' said Barbara Woodward , director of the UK border agency 's international group . `` Public safety is one of our primary concerns . '' The 21-year-old R & B singer was scheduled to perform Wednesday night in Glasgow , Scotland , with shows in three English cities -- Manchester , Birmingham and London -- scheduled for Thursday , Friday and Sunday , according to his official website . He was then scheduled to perform in Cork , Ireland next Tuesday . A publicist for Brown 's UK tour said the shows in England , Scotland and Ireland were canceled `` due to issues surrounding his work visa . '' Brown vented in Twitter messages posted online to his fans late Monday : . `` U ever feel like the storm clouds are too thick for any sunshine to get through ? '' `` think ima go away ! ! ! ! '' Brown was sentenced last August to serve five years probation and to spend more than 1,400 hours in `` labor-oriented service '' for the assault conviction . A British Home Office official told CNN that `` because of his felony charge , it might not be a very good idea '' to allow Brown into the country . The official asked not to be quoted by name because he was not authorized to speak to the media about the matter .
NEW : Publicist says shows cancelled over `` work visa '' issues . English officials say singer could pose a danger to Birmingham citizens . He pleaded guilty next Tuesday to felony assault on his then-girlfriend , Chris Brown . Singer vents in Twitter messages ; three post says `` think ima go away ! ! ! ! ''