Amy Winehouse's family makes plea to leave singer alone

A member of Amy Winehouse's family has called in to a BBC Radio show to ask the press to leave the singer alone.

Sue, who did not give her last name, called in to BBC's 5Live following a discussion on drugs that used the singer as an example.

She said: "Please let her finish her rehabilitation - let her try to get off the stuff and then we'll have the Amy we all want.

"We're just trying to carry on our lives, if possible."

Sue said she was angry that Winehouse was being used as an example of drug abuse.

She added: "You keep bringing up that she's a teenage icon and what example is she setting. She's setting no example. She didn't want to be an example - all she wants to be is a singer and a songwriter.

"There are thousands of families going through the same tragic situation as us all over England and they're allowed to get on it quietly - and this is all we ask for Amy."

Sue also hit out at the paparazzi, saying: "Give it a break - stop printing all those nasty photos.

"Amy has the press knocking on her door at two o'clock, three o'clock in the morning and some of the photos of Amy at her worst is when she's had no sleep and gone downstairs to say 'Leave me alone, shut up, I want to go to sleep'."

When asked about Winehouse's recent incidents with the police Sue said: "Sometimes in our heart of hearts - and this is going to sound ever so bad - we wish she would be incarcerated and maybe that would help get her off the drugs."