Winehouse denies punching fan in the face

AMY WINEHOUSE told a London court that she did not punch a fan who asked for her photograph, saying she felt intimidated by the alleged victim — and claiming she was too short to have hit the woman in the face.

Winehouse is on trial accused of assaulting another guest at a charity ball last September.

Dancer Sherene Flash alleges she was hit in the eye by the 25-year-old Back to Black singer after asking to take her picture following the event in London’s Berkeley Square.

Winehouse told District Judge Timothy Workman that she was too short to have punched the taller Flash in the face.

“My hair does make a difference,” said the singer, who sported her trademark beehive hairdo.

Winehouse, known as much for her chaotic lifestyle as her soulful music, arrived at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court for the hearing dressed in a grey pinstripe suit.

The star, who was granted a divorce from her husband Blake Fielder-Civil a week ago, gave her name in court as Amy Jade Civil and sat quietly, occasionally taking notes, as prosecutors outlined the case against her.

She appeared relaxed and healthy as she took the stand and denied punching Flash. She said she had felt intimidated and annoyed when Flash “lunged at me and put her arm around me”, and had only meant to push the other woman’s arm away.

“I pushed her up, like away. I wanted her away from me,” Winehouse said.

“It was more like an indication of, ‘Leave me alone, I’m scared of you.’

“I meant to just get her away from me. I was scared. I thought, ‘People are mad these days, people are just rude and mad, or people can’t handle their drink.’”

Winehouse left the witness box to show the judge her shoes which, she said, were similar to those she wore on the night of the alleged assault.

“These are really flat. They don’t even have a sole,” she said.

Questioned about her celebrity lifestyle, Winehouse — who was confronted by dozens of photographers when she left the courthouse to smoke a cigarette at the lunch hour — denied she was a prima donna.

“I’m not like that. I’m not a Jennifer Lopez — paint the room white before I get there and I want five bunches of lilies,” she said.

Prosecutor Lyall Thompson said the incident was “a deliberate assault by Miss Winehouse”.

“There was nothing accidental about Miss Winehouse’s actions,” he said.

He added Winehouse appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or “some other substance” when she hit Flash.

He said Winehouse initially agreed to have her picture taken but may have been angered when a drunk friend of Flash tried to get into the photo.

“Miss Winehouse may have felt she had generously agreed to be photo-graphed on her own and not with a drunken stranger,” he said.

But Thompson said that was no excuse for hitting Flash in the eye.

The trial was adjourned until today.