British pop star Amy Winehouse must appear in court in Bergen, Norway, after
appealing her fine for marijuana possession.
"I can confirm that she must appear in court," Bergen police spokeswoman Liv
Karlsen said Thursday. "If one appeals a conviction, it's the rule that one has
to appear in person, so this is not surprising."
The 24-year-old singer-songwriter and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were
arrested in Bergen on Oct. 18 and held overnight on charges of illegal drug
possession.
They were released the next day after paying fines of US$715 each on charges
of possessing about 1/4-ounce of marijuana, and continued on a European tour.
Winehouse later claimed she had been tricked into signing the charges and
didn't know what she had put her signature to. Police say they are sure she
knew, and that fluent English speakers helped her.
The singer's lawyer has said that a conviction and a fine could damage her
career by making it more difficult for her to enter the US.
Winehouse has spoken openly about her penchant for alcohol and marijuana, and
her hit single "Rehab" is an autobiographical tale of her resistance to being
pushed to go to rehab: "They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no, no,
no."
She was photographed earlier this month walking outside her London home
wearing a bra and jeans, with no shoes, looking distressed.