Amy Winehouse's husband planned to use her money to pay off a pub landlord he had beaten up - and save himself from jail, a court heard yesterday.

Blake Fielder-Civil, the singer's husband, and his friend Michael Brown, assaulted James King, whose cheekbone was broken in the attack.

Later, King, 36, was approached by two 'middle men', Anthony Kelly and James Kennedy.

Troubled couple: Blake Fielder-Civil and singer Amy Winehouse

He allegedly struck a £200,000 deal that would save his attackers from being found guilty of grievous bodily harm.

But the plot was exposed when King and Kelly contacted the Daily Mirror in an attempt to sell their story - and staff informed the police.

Kelly claimed that Miss Winehouse, a Grammy Award winner, was effectively funding the bribe, the court heard.

King, who is being tried for conspiring to pervert the course of justice, said he would 'effectively throw the case and not turn up', so that Fielder-Civil and Brown would not face prosecution, Snaresbrook Crown Court, in East London, heard.

Amy Winehouse has her cats returned as the trial continues

Sean Larkin, prosecuting, said: 'What we can say, based on the evidence, is that the deal was that Mr King would prepare what is known as a withdrawal or retraction statement, saying he no longer wished to pursue the prosecution.

'That he would not turn up to give evidence to the trial: That he would leave the country so that the court or the police would not be able to find him to bring him to court for the trial - and that Mr King expected to be paid something in the order of £200,000.

'The middle men, Kelly and Kennedy, obviously expected to get a cut of it. There was talk of £20,000.

'And the attackers, Mr Brown and Mr Fielder-Civil, expected to be found not guilty  -  and that was their private deal.'

The attack on King, in June 2006, may have been a 'revenge attack', the court heard.

There was a grievance between the landlord and Brown who had previously dated one of King's friends.

Fielder-Civil and Brown assaulted him at closing time in a pub he ran in Hoxton, East London. The pair kicked him repeatedly as he lay on the ground.

When they met journalist Stephen Moyes, in October 2007, he asked if Amy Winehouse was involved in the plot.

'He was told by Kelly, "Who do you think is paying for it? Of course she is",' Mr Larkin said.

But there was no evidence she was part of the conspiracy.

King claimed that he was 'hounded' by people to stop the case from going to court and suggested money was coming from Amy Winehouse to 'make this go away', the jury was told.

King, of Risley, Derbyshire, denies conspiracy to pervert the course of justice with Brown, Fielder-Civil, Kelly and Kennedy.

Fielder-Civil, 26, of Camden, North London, has already pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice along with Brown, of Carshalton, Surrey, who has admitted the same offences.

Kelly, 25, of Chalk Farm, North London, and 19-year-old Kennedy, from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, have both pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice around November 2007. They will be sentenced for those offences at a later date.

The case continues.

James Kennedy (right) arriving at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice