Amy Winehouse's husband sentence

British singer Amy Winehouse performs during the "Rock in Rio" music festival in Arganda del Rey, near Madrid, July 4, 2008. [Agencies]

Amy Winehouse's husband was sentenced to 27 months in prison yesterday. Blake Fielder-Civil, who pleaded guilty last month to charges of grievous bodily harm (GBH) and perverting the course of justice, had begged Judge David Radford to let him walk free so he could help stop Amy taking drugs.

Blake's barrister Jeremy Dein QC, said at East London's Snaresbrook Crown Court: "They are very much committed to each other and their ambition is to divorce themselves from hard drugs and not separate themselves from each other. "Knowing the nation's glare is upon him, Mr. Fielder-Civil has every possible motive to rehabilitate himself in the way he has already shown he is fully committed to doing.

He knows if he fails, an appointment with calamity awaits, not just for himself but for his wife. "He can now see that hard drugs are to be regarded as nothing other than a smiling assassin. He wishes now to become a role model for Miss Winehouse but he knows it would be impossible for her to alienate herself from drugs if he continues to befriend them."

Amy, who has attended most of her husband's previous court hearings, was not present at the sentencing. Dein had also urged the judge to give Blake a community order, a suspended sentence or prison term of no longer than 18 months.

Blake has already served around nine months. As he announced his sentence, Judge Radford said Blake had behaved in a "gratuitous, cowardly and disgraceful" way. Blake, 26, and his friend Michael Brown admitted to attacking pub landlord James King in 2006, leaving him with a broken nose and cheekbone. King was later offered 200,000 and a holiday in Spain to drop the charges.