Amy Winehouse leaves Westminster Magistrates' Court in London yesterday in her ballet shoes. Photo: REUTERS/TOBY MELVILLE
Friday July 24 2009
AMY WINEHOUSE twirled in front of a judge and showed him her pink ballet shoes in an attempt to prove that she was a mere 5ft 2in tall and could not have punched a fan.
In one of her most bizarre public performances yet, the Grammy Award-winning singer insisted that she had not attacked Sherene Flash moments after being asked to pose for a photograph at a charity ball.
Instead, Ms Winehouse (25) claimed that Ms Flash, who is 5ft 7in tall and was wearing high-heeled boots, was drunk and being rude as she towered above her.
"Ms Flash came over and put her arm around me. She lent down. She's taller than me. I had flat shoes on," she said.
Asked what shoes she was wearing, Ms Winehouse jumped up from the witness box at Westminster Magistrates' Court and twirled in front of District Judge Timothy Workman to show her footwear.
"I'm probably 5ft 2in to 3in tall," she said before rearranging her 8in-high black beehive and adding: "But my hair does make a difference."
Smiled
She continued: "I had shoes on like this. In fact, these are the very shoes I had on that night. Look, they don't even have a sole. They don't have a heel."
After the judge reassured her that he was fully aware of what flat shoes were, she returned to the witness box, straightened her grey pinstripe mini-skirt suit, sat down and smiled.
The prosecution claims that she acted with "deliberate and unjustifiable violence" towards Ms Flash, a dancer who, like Ms Winehouse, had performed at the Prince's Trust charity ball in Mayfair, Central London, last September.
Other dancers have told the court Ms Winehouse appeared to be either drunk or high on drugs during the altercation.
Ms Flash said that after her performance she had been "tipsy" on champagne and had gone to Ms Winehouse's dressing room and politely asked her to pose for a photograph with her friend, Kiaran Connolly, who, by his own admission, was "hammered" on drink.
Ms Flash said: "She punched me forcefully in my right eye. She used a fist, her right one. I started crying with shock. I couldn't open my eye for a while."
A recording of Ms Flash's 999 call was played to the court. Asked by the operator who had assaulted her, she replied: "Amy Winehouse, of all f***ing people." She said that she was left with a headache and a scratch to her eye.
Ms Winehouse said that she felt scared of Ms Flash, who had ignored her offer to pose for a picture once she had seen a friend out of the venue.
"She kneeled down to try to pose next to me. Her friend came round in front. I said, 'Do I get a choice? Hello?' I wanted her away from me. It was like, 'Leave me. I'm scared of you.'
"I said I would be back in two minutes. It's just then she lent down all over me and put her face next to mine. It's just rude. My bodyguard was keeping an eye on what was going on. He stepped in. It was like, 'Let that girl be, she's drunk'."
Ms Winehouse denied hitting the dancer with a clenched fist, insisting that any injury was accidental. She added that she was worried that the woman was trying to sell her story to a tabloid newspaper. She added: "People are just rude or just mad these days. Or people can't handle drink."
Ms Winehouse denies common assault. The trial continues.
- Steve Bird
Winehouse found not guilty of assaulting dancer
Amy Winehouse has been found not guilty of assault. Photo: Getty Images
Friday July 24 2009
British singer Amy Winehouse has been found not guilty of assaulting a dancer at a charity ball in London.
The 25-year-old was accused of hitting burlesque dancer Sherene Flash in the face while backstage at the Prince's Trust Ball last September.
Winehouse denied assaulting the dancer and had insisted she was intimidated and scared by the drunken Miss Flash, who was demanding a photograph with the star.
The court heard the dancer had refused to wait for a few minutes after Winehouse agreed to the request and the singer had pushed her away.
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