December 31, 2008 19:07

Court date set for Amy Winehouse drug appeal

The singer is due to appear in Norwegian court

Photo Gallery: Amy Winehouse
Photo: Danny North

A date has been set for Amy Winehouse to appear in a Norwegian court to appeal 2007 drug charges in the country.

The singer is due to appear on January 12 in her appeal against a fine imposed for her alleged possession of 7 grams of marijuana, it was announced today (December 31).

Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were briefly arrested and fined 500 euros for drug possession and use in the western Norwegian town of Bergen on October 18, 2007, as previously reported.

She later appealed the fine, alleging that the police who arrested her had made a mistake. According to Winehouse's Norwegian attorney, payment of the fine would amount to a guilty plea, which could have negative consequences if she attempted to enter the United States. The singer was denied entry into the US earlier this year to perform at the Grammy Awards.

The trial was originally scheduled to take place in March 2008, but was postponed at the request of her attorney.

Police prosecutor Rudolf Christoffersen told the Associated Press that he expects that the couple will be required to appear at the hearing. "She is the one who appealed, so that makes it her appeal," he said. "Often, if you don't appear at your own appeal hearing, then the court will dismiss the appeal."

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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