LONDON - A British court on Wednesday acquitted a former pub manager of taking a bribe to drop assault charges against Amy Winehouse's husband.

A jury deliberated for three hours before finding James King not guilty of trying to pervert the course of justice (the equivalent of obstruction of justice in the U.S.).

The singer-songwriter's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, has admitted beating up King in a barroom fight in 2006 and then offering him $400,000 to keep quiet about it.

King, who suffered a broken cheekbone, said he was intimidated into withdrawing the assault claim.

Three other men also pleaded guilty to involvement in the plot. They and Fielder-Civil all face jail terms when they are sentenced next month.

Winehouse, 24, and Fielder-Civil, 26, were married in Miami in May 2007. He was arrested in November and has been in jail ever since.

She has become an international star since releasing the Grammy-winning album "Back to Black" in 2006. But her music has been overshadowed by reports of drug use, her run-ins with the law and tempestuous relationship with Fielder-Civil.

Source: AP