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Man is acquitted in Amy Winehouse husband case
People Winehouse Hu 5418524
Amy Winehouse, right, and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, arrive at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles in this June 3, 2007, file photo. - photo by Associated Press
    LONDON — A British court on Wednesday acquitted a former pub manager of taking a bribe to drop assault charges against Amy Winehouse’s husband.
    A jury deliberated for three hours before finding James King not guilty of trying to pervert the course of justice (the equivalent of obstruction of justice in the U.S.).
    The singer-songwriter’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, has admitted beating up King in a barroom fight in 2006 and then offering him $400,000 to keep quiet about it.
    King, who suffered a broken cheekbone, said he was intimidated into withdrawing the assault claim.
    Three other men also pleaded guilty to involvement in the plot. They and Fielder-Civil all face jail terms when they are sentenced next month.
    Winehouse, 24, and Fielder-Civil, 26, were married in Miami in May 2007. He was arrested in November and has been in jail ever since.
    She has become an international star since releasing the Grammy-winning album ‘‘Back to Black’’ in 2006. But her music has been overshadowed by reports of drug use, her run-ins with the law and tempestuous relationship with Fielder-Civil.

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