A SINGER has been cleared by an Ipswich court of slapping a man twice her size.Canadian vocalist Louise Robey shot to fame in the early 80's with her cover of One Night in Bangkok - she also starred in TV series Friday the 13th and modelled in Paris Vogue.

A SINGER has been cleared by an Ipswich court of slapping a man twice her size.

Canadian vocalist Louise Robey shot to fame in the early 80's with her cover of One Night in Bangkok - she also starred in TV series Friday the 13th and modelled in Paris Vogue.

At South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court the 46-year-old sat in the dock charged with lashing out at her boyfriend of six years, Mark Harwood.

Robey, of Spring Vale Studios, Hadleigh Road, Sproughton denied causing her 50-year-old partner common assault by slapping him on the head.

Nicholas Sykes, prosecuting, said: “There was an altercation over a newspaper article, it got worse and worse. Mr Harwood called the police for assistance and she slapped him.”

Mr Harwood told the court he had been in his recording studio with Robey on December 22 last year when she had become drunk and abusive.

He said: “Louise did tend to spend many hours abusing myself and my family whenever it happened that she had been drinking.”

He said he gave her five chances to stop shouting at him before he called the police.

He added: “She had her hands all over the phone and was trying to dial all the numbers on the keypad.”

Mr Harwood said Robey pulled the phone cable out of the wall and she slapped him “loads” of times during the scuffle.

He added that he suffered ringing in his ears, a sore head and bruising.

Mr Harwood said he had to restrain Robey by placing her in a half nelson type hold. Police officers who arrested her said she smelt of alcohol, was unsteady on her feet and had slurred speech. They did not see any injuries on Mr Harwood.

Robey told the court Mr Harwood had drunk a bottle of wine while she had only drunk two glasses that day and had called her “untalented, old, lousy and stupid”.

Robey said: “He was manic all day but he got worse after drinking. I only hit out at him in self-defence. “It was the usual stuff, verbal stuff then twisting my arm. What he does is to take this arm and twist it right back so I cannot breath and I'm in pain. Then I turn to slap him with the other arm and he would hold that one in front.”

The court heard that Mr Harwood was six foot tall and almost 15 stone.

Robey added that their relationship had been abusive and she had been head-butted and punched by Mr Harwood in the past.

Magistrates said Mr Harwood's evidence was “unconvincing” and Robey's was “inconsistent”.

Due to the inconclusive evidence magistrates found Robey not guilty of assault.

N Louise Robey was born in Canada but educated in Europe during her teens.

N Her first break came when she was spotted by a photographer in France and she appeared in Paris Vogue in 1979 at the age of 19.

N In 1984 she released her debut solo album Robey. It included the song One Night in Bangkok - a cover of the song from Chess.

It was a hit in the dance chart and charted at about the same time as Murray Head's original hit from the musical.

N In 1986 she had a small role in the film The Money Pit which starred Tom Hanks. She sang the song of the movie Web of Desire.

N In 1987 she landed a part in Friday the 13th: The Series and starred for 72 episodes.

N In 1992 she appeared in the erotic thriller Play Nice which flopped.

N In 1994 she married Charles Francis Topham de Vere Beauclerk, Lord of Burford, they are now divorced.

N Between December 2000 and January 2001 she began recording with producer Mark Harwood at SpringVale studios.

Source: www.louiserobey.com.