Winehouse Husband Sentenced

The husband of singer Amy Winehouse has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

Twenty-six-year-old Blake Fielder-Civil, of Camden, admitted grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.

Former pub landlord, James King, 36, was assaulted at the Macbeths pub in Hoxton, in June 2006.

Fielder-Civil and his friend Michael Brown had beaten Mr King so badly that he needed plates fitted into his face for a broken cheekbone and is still receiving counselling.

The court heard that Brown was kicked out of the pub and he then returned with Fielder-Civil at closing time to carry out the assault.

It is understood that Mr King, was to receive a £200,000 pay-off to withdraw his statement and "disappear abroad" during the trial so that the pair could walk free.

Associates, Anthony Kelly, 26, of Chalk Farm and James Kennedy, 20, of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, both admitted perverting the course of justice last year and are also being sentenced.

Brown, 40, from Carshalton, south London, has also pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice and was jailed for 33 months.

The assault victim, and the subject of the original bribe offer, Mr King was unanimously cleared by a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court in June of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Fielder-Civil has been in Pentonville Prison for the past nine months on remand.

Judge David Radford told Fielder-Civil that he behaved in a "gratuitous, cowardly and disgraceful way".

In his defence, Jeremy Dein QC, said Fielder-Civil "was of exemplary good character" and that it was his and his wife's "ambition to divorce themselves from hard drugs" not to "separate themselves from each other".

His wife, Amy Winehouse, had publicly said that she expected her husband to be released.

During her recent T in the Park and Oxegen Festival she dedicated songs to her jailed spouse, but Ms Winehouse did not attend her husband's sentencing.

(DS)