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Culture Club singer jailed
Boy George
Boy George sentenced to 15 months in jail for false imprisonment
"[The judge] also ordered the singer, who had decided not to testify, to pay ã5,000 costs."
A judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court has sentenced Boy George - real name George O’Dowd - to 15 months in jail for the false imprisonment of Auden Carlsen, an escort the singer met on dating website Gaydar.
O’Dowd was convicted of falsely imprisoning 28 year-old Carlsen, who is originally from Norway, in December last year, but was released on bail pending sentencing.
Today Judge Radford concluded:
"Whilst I accept that Mr Carlsen's physical injuries were not serious or permanent, in my view there can be no doubt that your premeditated callous and humiliating handcuffing and detention of Mr Carlsen shocked, degraded and traumatised him.
"He was deprived of his liberty and human dignity without warning or proper explanation to him of its purpose, length or purported justification."
He also ordered the singer, who had decided not to testify, to pay £5,000 costs.
Following the sentencing, O'Dowd's solicitor, Steven Barker, told reporters:
"George is on the road to recovery, I sincerely hope this sentence does not knock him back."
This isn’t the first time the singer has been in trouble with the law. Previous convictions include theft as a juvenile in 1977 and drugs offences. In 2006 he famously served five days of community service cleaning the streets of New York after admitting to falsely reporting a burglary at his flat there.
George O'Dowd originally shot to fame in the 1980 as Boy George in the band Culture Club. During their career they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, notching up seven British and nine American Top ten hits.
As well as singing, Boy George is also a successful DJ, writer, clothes designer and photographer.
