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Culture Club singer convicted
Boy George
Boy George has been found guilty of falsely imprisoning a man he met on Gaydar
"He denied false imprisonment and did not give evidence during the trial. He will be sentenced on 16th January"
Snaresbrook Crown Court has convicted singer Boy George of the false imprisonment of a male escort at his east London flat.
The jury heard that on 28th April 2007, 28 year-old Norwegian man Auden Carlsen visited Boy George - real name George O'Dowd - in his Shoreditch flat after meeting on dating website Gaydar. Carlsen had previously met O'Dowd for a private a ‘photo session’ where the pair engaged in drug taking and a sexual act, for which Carlsen was paid £300.
However when Carlsen visited the singer on 28th April George O'Dowd chained him to a wall and held him against his will, believing he had tampered with his computers. Carlsen later managed to break free and contacted police from a local shop. During the trial he accused O’ Dowd of fabricating the computer hacking story because he had rejected him. He said:
"I think he couldn't handle the refusal - me not having sex with him."
George O'Dowd was arrested in April and charged in November but released on bail. He denied false imprisonment and did not give evidence during the trial. He will be sentenced on 16th January.
George O'Dowd shot to fame as Boy George in the band Culture Club, whose hits in the 1980s included number one singles ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me’ and ‘Karma Chameleon’. As well as singing, Boy George is also a successful DJ, writer, clothes designer and photographer.
He currently has a tour planned for May 2009.
