Chris Brown wants the felony assault charges against him dropped, citing the leaked photos of girlfriend Rihanna looking bloodied and bruised as evidence of "outrageous governmental misconduct".

The Run It singer was charged with assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats following an alleged altercation with his then girlfriend in February.

The 19-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on April 7.

The R&B singer was represented by his lawyer, Mark Geragos, at Los Angeles County Court on Wednesday morning, who reiterated the star's desire to avoid a trial, reports TMZ.

As he left the courtroom Geragos said: "Leaks can form the basis for a motion to dismiss the case in regard to outrageous governmental misconduct."

He argued for as late a preliminary hearing as possible to investigate how police photos of Rihanna's injuries found their way online.

After Chris entered his plea earlier this month, Rihanna's attorney, Donald Etra, told reporters the Umbrella hitmaker "would be pleased if this was over quickly".

The singer is due back in court on May 28. If convicted, he faces almost five years behind bars.

While Chris has been pre-occupied with legal matters, Rihanna has been partying up a storm in Barbados.

See Chris and Rihanna in happier times below