27 December 2007
Newsdesk
British soul singer Amy Winehouse has been summoned to appear in a Norwegian court after she was arrested and fined in the country in October for drug use, police said Thursday.
Winehouse, her husband and her hairdresser, who were briefly arrested and fined 500 euros (725 dollars) for drug use and possession of seven grammes of marijuana in the western Norwegian town of Bergen on October 18, must appear in court on February 29, Bergen police lawyer Rudolf Christoffersen told AFP.
"The Gulating court (in Bergen) sent us a letter dated December 18, 2007, stating that ... this case cannot be tried in absentia," he said.
The award-winning singer has, according to Norwegian media reports, claimed she was tricked by police into signing a confession, but Christoffersen insisted police were "very certain the three knew what they were signing".
"They were interrogated by a police officer who speaks fluent English ... and they paid the fine on the spot," he said.
Winehouse's Norwegian lawyer Ole Kvelstad could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Norwegian court decision is the latest blow to 24-year-old Winehouse's public image, following months of highly publicised alcohol and drug problems.
