Why Did Blake Fielder-Civil Go to Prison?
Last reviewed: June 2026
Who is Blake Fielder-Civil?
Blake Fielder-Civil became a household name in the mid-2000s through his marriage to Amy Winehouse, one of the most celebrated British singers of her generation. The couple married in 2007 and divorced in 2009. Winehouse died in July 2011. Fielder-Civil’s public profile has been dominated both by that relationship and by a series of criminal convictions tied to drug dependency.
The 2008 conviction: grievous bodily harm
In July 2008, Fielder-Civil was sentenced to 27 months in prison at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He had admitted causing grievous bodily harm and perverting the course of justice. The charges arose from a serious assault on a former pub landlord, James King, who was beaten so badly that he required metal plates to be fitted to a fractured cheekbone. Fielder-Civil and an associate, Michael Brown, then attempted to buy the victim’s silence in what was described in court as a plot to pervert the course of the resulting trial. The judge noted that Fielder-Civil had been heavily intoxicated at the time of the attack.
The 2011 conviction: burglary
In 2011, after his release and following the breakdown of his marriage, Fielder-Civil was jailed again, this time for two years and eight months. He and an accomplice had broken into a house in Rawdon, near Leeds, and stolen goods worth around £4,000, including games consoles, DVD players and jewellery. The court heard that the burglary was committed to fund a heroin addiction. Fielder-Civil has spoken publicly about his long struggle with drug dependency in the years since.
Addiction and the cycle of offending
Fielder-Civil’s case is, in many respects, a familiar one within the criminal justice system: offending driven by entrenched substance misuse. A large proportion of acquisitive crime in England and Wales is connected to drug or alcohol dependency, and access to effective treatment, both in prison and on release, is widely regarded as central to reducing reoffending.
Blake Fielder-Civil’s sentences at a glance
| Year | Offence | Court | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | GBH & perverting the course of justice | Snaresbrook Crown Court | 27 months |
| 2011 | Burglary | Leeds Crown Court | 2 years 8 months |
- “He was jailed over Amy Winehouse’s death.” No. His convictions relate to violence, perverting the course of justice and burglary – not to the singer’s death in 2011, which a coroner recorded as misadventure due to alcohol.
- “He only went to prison once.” He has been sentenced to custody on more than one occasion, in 2008 and again in 2011.
- “His sentences were unusually harsh.” The terms imposed were within the normal range for serious GBH and for domestic burglary under sentencing guidelines.
Frequently asked questions
What was Blake Fielder-Civil’s longest sentence?
His longest single term was the two years and eight months handed down in 2011 for burglary.
Was the offending linked to drugs?
Yes. The 2011 burglary was committed to fund a heroin addiction, and Fielder-Civil has spoken openly about his long history of substance misuse.
Is Blake Fielder-Civil in prison now?
His widely reported custodial sentences date from 2008 and 2011. We do not assert his current status; for any recent developments, consult up-to-date court reporting.
Further reading and sources
To understand how sentences like these are served, including release on licence and recall, see our guides on Prison Guide, written with input from our founder Daniel Hockey, who served a sentence himself – read more about Daniel Hockey. For wider context on prison numbers, see GOV.UK prison population statistics.
