LONDON - SINGER Amy Winehouse appeared in court on Tuesday and denied a charge of assaulting a woman after a charity ball in London last year.

The 25-year-old bee-hived soul singer is accused of assaulting Sherene Flash in Berkeley Square after the Berkeley Ball event last September.

Winehouse arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday looking relaxed and smiling at a large gathering of reporters outside. She pleaded not guilty to a charge of common assault during a short hearing, the Press Association reported.

The case was adjourned until July 23.

The singer won five Grammy awards in 2008 and her second album Back to Black received widespread critical acclaim.

But her private life, including a battle against drug addiction, has overshadowed her recording success.

Earlier this month, she was unable to get a US work visa to perform at April's Coachella festival in California alongside such acts as Paul McCartney and The Killers because of the assault charges. -- Reuters