LONDON (Jan. 16) - Singer Boy George was sentenced to 15 months injail on Friday after being convicted of falsely imprisoning a maleescort by handcuffing him to a wall in a London apartment.
Singer Boy George has been jailed for 15 months for his conviction of falsely imprisoning a male escort in his London apartment. The former Culture Club frontman, seen outside court on Friday, copped to handcuffing Audun Carlsen to a wall, but said he did it because photos were missing from his computer.
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The singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, denied charges that he injured Calson during the hour-long ordeal. His lawyer admitted that both men behaved like "drug-crazed idiots" and that O'Dowd's substance abuse problems were a contributing factor.
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The controversy caused the 47-year-old singer to cancel an American tour last year. He was supposed to play at the NYC Department of Sanitation's Family Day in August.
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In 2006, George was ordered to spend five days cleaning New York's streets after pleading guilty to falsely reporting a burglary at his apartment. He arrived for duty wearing dark capri pants, shoes without socks, a sweatshirt, and no wild makeup.
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Culture Club and Boy George gained fame in the 1980s thanks to the singer's androgynous appearance and hits like 'Karma Chameleon' and 'Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?'
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Boy George left the group in late 1986 after stories of his drug addictions became too big a distraction for the band, whose commercial appeal had begun to wain. He went on to record a handful of solo albums and in 2002 made his Broadway debut with the Rosie O'Donnell-backed musical 'Taboo.'
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British Judge David Radford said the 47-year-old former CultureClub frontman, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was guilty of"gratuitous violence."
O'Dowd's lawyer said his client and the escort had both behavedlike "drug-crazed idiots" and that O'Dowd's substance abuseproblems were a contributing factor.
In 2006, Boy George - whose pop band's hits included "Do YouReally Want to Hurt Me" and "Karma Chameleon" - did communityservice with New York City's Department of Sanitation after hecalled police with a false report of a burglary at his lowerManhattan apartment and officers found cocaine there.
Friday's sentencing occurred at Snaresbrook Crown Court in EastLondon, where O'Dowd had been warned by the judge to expect a jailsentence.
The singer had been convicted in December of handcuffingNorwegian escort Audun Carlsen to a wall hook at his East Londonapartment. During the trial, prosecutors said Carlsen was held byO'Dowd for under an hour.
The singer denied the charge, saying he had restrained Carlsenwith handcuffs while trying to figure out if a computer had beentampered with. Carlsen, 29, said O'Dowd swung at him with a metalchain as he ran from the apartment after a naked photo shoot.
Photos of Carlsen's injuries - which he said had been inflictedby O'Dowd - were shown to the jury, but the singer denied he wasresponsible.
Speaking to Judge Radford on Friday, O'Dowd's lawyer, AdrianWaterman, said: "This defendant is a kind and generous man who isparticularly mindful of others' needs. He is the antithesis of thehaughty bullying star. He was not himself when addled by thehabitual and relatively long-lasting using of illegal drugs."
During Culture Club's heyday in the 1980s, Boy George was famousfor his flamboyant makeup and outfits.
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