Blake Fielder-Civil Trial
From WhatRumors: The Celebrity Gossip Wiki
Blake Fielder-Civil, best known as being the husband of fellow crack addict Amy Winehouse, was arrested on November 8, 2007. Shockingly enough, it wasn't for drug possession but for charges of "attempting to pervert the course of justice." For those not in the UK or fans of Law and Order, it's the US equivalent of tampering with a witness.
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The Story Behind The Charges
Blake and friend Michael Brown were charged with assaulting a bartender from North London on June 20, 2007. Rather than attempt to get a plea deal or take his chances with the trial, Blake decided to see what could be done outside the court to stop the case from going before a judge. He and another 3 other friends decided to go see the alleged victim of the beating to make him an offer he couldn't refuse. Imagine their shock when UK tabloid The Mirror decided to turn over evidence of the attempted bribe of $400,000 over to the authorities. The victim is seen on the tape saying he will not withdraw his claims for less than the $400,000 and for this he will leave the country for as long as possible for the charges to be dropped. The Mirror also had tapes showing the 4 talking about how they were going to get away with the crime and laughing off the crime itself. Being the upstanding paper it's proven to be in the cases of filming celebrities doing drugs, The Mirror turned over all these recordings to the authorities. 10 hours before the arrest, the Winehouse/Fielder-Civil home was raided by police who used crowbars to get inside the home. In a call, Blake mentioned to his mother something about what he knew was about to come about.
| —Blake Fielder-Civil to his mother the night before he was arrested |
Blake Incarcerated
With that evidence, Blake and his 3 friends were arrested from the home he shares with Amy. This home is used to police, ambulances, and photographers hanging around outside but they are normally there for Amy. Blake was taken from his home while telling Amy he'd be fine. Unfortunately, Blake's actions set him apart from a man who got in a bar fight to someone willing to try to bribe witnesses to stop a trial and he was unable to get bail. Each time he was charged or attempted to receive bail, it was denied.
Blake's incarceration was a gift that just kept on giving to the tabloid press in the UK and the US. Blake managed to to plot to have people beat up, overdose, use drugs, and find a new girlfriend while behind bars.
Amy made as many scheduled appearances as she could but would many times be sure to mention her husband, lovingly referred to as "Blake Incarcerated". She would show up for his court appearances and blow kisses or scream out how much she loved him, caring little for the fact that she was in a court room. She'd perform wearing a heart with Blake's name on it either in her hair or pinned to her shirt. She would dedicate performances she actually showed up for to her "Blake Incarcerated" no matter what type of event she was attending.
The Trial and Sentencing
Time for Court
Blake finally went to trial for both the assault and the witness tampering charges in June 2008. Details of the case were shocking, as to why the whole beating took place to begin with, and what role Blake played in it. According to the court documents, Blake's friend Michael Brown had an issue with James King and the beating resulted over some drama because Michael Brown dated one of the James King's friends. On June 20, 2006, Blake and Michael went to the victim's bar and proceeded to kick the crap out of him literally. The two surrounded the bar owner/bartender and beat him.
The biggest shock of all was how The Mirror found out about the plot to bribe the victim/witness James King and one of the men helping Blake negotiate the deal. The reason they went to The Mirror was in hopes of making even more money off the situation because the $400,000 just wasn't quite enough. The Mirror then bugged the various places the meetings were taking place and alerted the police. Without this turn of events, the whole plot might have gone down without no one being the wiser as to why James King dropped the charges and Blake would be free.
Sentencing
Sentencing came about a month later on July 21, 2008. Blake's barrister, UK term for lawyer, spoke on his behalf and asked the judge to set him free so he could be a role model to his wife. Blake's plea was that he would be able to stay off drugs and live a life free of crime if he was sentenced to an amount of time equal to what he'd already served or . Considering the things Blake was able to accomplish in jail, the judge nixed the idea immediately. Judge David Radford took the time to address Blake personally:
| —Judge David Radford to Blake during sentencing |
Blake was sentenced to 15 months for causing grievous bodily harm and 12 months for trying to pervert the course of justice. His lawyer said they were thinking of appealing the sentence but Blake is eligible for release before Christmas as he's only required to serve half his sentence depending on his behavior behind bars. With how he's acted so far while in jail, it might be Christmas of next year before he's released.
Amy, who was her husband's most vocal defender, didn't even bother to show up. Blake's mother and the woman rumored to be who Blake is carrying on an affair with while incarcerated both were there to show support.
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See Also