Category: Personal

From George Michael jailed for eight weeks for drug driving:

The BBC’s Lizo Mzimba: ”He actually seemed shocked”

George Michael has been given an eight-week sentence for crashing his car while under the influence of cannabis.

He was also fined £1,250 at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in London and given a five-year driving ban.

This note is posted on the official site:

My Dear Fans,

As usual I am overwhelmed by the support and genuine concern that so many of you around the world have expressed in recent weeks. I want to thank you all sincerely, and also to reassure those of you who worry so much for me. I fully appreciate the seriousness of my current situation, for which I truly apologise.

You will understand that it would be wrong of me to go into details before the court case has ended but I feel you should know that on the day after the incident I checked in to a clinic for a 14 day detox program here in London, which has been followed by ongoing outpatient drug counselling several times a week. Personal problems which I had tried to deal with myself had clearly got the better of me, and I am sorry that my pride has prevented me from seeking help before now.

I would also like to express my thanks to those whose discretion allowed me to begin this process in private, which has helped me greatly.

With love and my apologies,
George Michael

Here are additional articles on George Michael’s court appearance:

• George Michael Faces Jail For Drug Driving
• George Michael pleads guilty to drug offenses
• George Michael, arrives at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court

From George Michael pleads guilty to drug offenses:

 The multimillion-selling singer was warned Tuesday that he may face jail time after driving his car into a London photo shop while under the influence of drugs. …

The car’s engine was still running when police arrived, but Michael had to be roused, police said. They described Michael as appearing “spaced out.”

“Mr. Michael looked at the officer with his eyes wide open and the officers could see his pupils were dilated,” said prosecutor Penny Fergusson. “They opened the door and could see he was dripping with sweat.”

Prosecutors said Michael acknowledged smoking marijuana and taking a prescription sedative.

The former Wham! lead singer, booked under his real name of Georgios Panayiotou, spoke only to confirm his identity and plead guilty to driving while unfit.

Judge Robin McPhee banned Michael from driving for six months, and warned he could face jail time when he is sentenced Sept. 14.

“It is a serious matter. Your driving was extremely poor and there was an accident,” McPhee said, adding that Michael has already had one conviction. “I make it clear all options in respect of sentencing remain open, including powers to imprison.”

Tony Parsons, the author of Bare, has an article entitled George Michael needs to find some respect for himself.  It says, in part:

Those of us who care about George will hope that his court case is a wake-up call. He is turning into a shambling wreck of a man. And if he does not change soon, then the possibility of doing time in prison will be the least of his worries.

One member of his trusted team says: “George is a genius but every genius is flawed. His stubbornness is breathtaking. We all told him, time and time again, to use a chauffeur for safety. His cousin Alex Georgiou was on hand 24 hours a day to drive him. But no, George wanted to do things his way and drive himself. The Snappy Snaps crash was inevitable, yet avoidable.

“George won’t be told. He’ll swear on live radio once he’s been warned not to. He smoked weed on TV and confessed his love of cottaging to journalists. It has his PR people tearing their hair out.”

Those who have followed George’s career know he simply does not take unwanted advice.

Even as a young pop upstart he urged fans not to buy his single because he was annoyed at a record company deal. George will not be bossed around.

The source adds: “After years of hiding who he really was, George has no time for pretence and will do exactly what he wants – and that is not usually very much.”

According to George Michael ‘could be jailed for three months over drug-drive charge’:

If he is convicted, it will be his third drug-related motoring offence – and traffic law experts warned he was at “serious risk” of being jailed.

Solicitor Ian Kelcey, of Kelcey and Hall, said: “It is quite possible a magistrate will take a view and say ‘I consider that you are a risk to the public’.

“They will think ‘You are in charge of a potential lethal weapon and you need to stop doing this’. A prison sentence would be a consideration especially if it is a third offence.

In case you’ve lost track of George Michael’s legal woes, check out Does George Michael’s life of crime affect his music? Let’s find out! for a nice recap of the legal and musical aftermath of each incident.

Wasim sends us Singer George Michael Faces Drug Charge:

Singer George Michael has been charged with possession of cannabis and driving while unfit through drink or drugs following an incident last month, Scotland Yard has said.

Michael was arrested on 4 July in Hampstead, north London, after he allegedly crashed his car into a branch of photographic shop Snappy Snaps.

The Wham! star, from nearby Highgate, was on police bail following the crash.

Police said Michael, 47, is due to appear before magistrates on 24 August.

The pop star, whose real name is Georgios Panayiotou, was charged when he reported to a police station in Camden, north London, on Thursday.

This is from The Mirror:

George Michael has been arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive after his car ploughed into a shop near his home in the early hours.

The former Wham! star’s Range Rover hit the doorway of the Snappy Snaps. It is the SEVENTH time George has been at the centre of a police investigation into his driving in the last six years.

His 4×4 was caught on CCTV mounting the pavement before crunching into the glass and metal shop front.

Shocked George, 47, climbed out but is thought to have waited for police. He did not need medical attention.

The star was not breathalysed after telling police he had not been drinking but is believed to have been tested for drugs at a police station.

No drugs were recovered and he was bailed until August.

This is from The Sun:

GEORGE MICHAEL has been arrested after his car crashed into a SHOP on the night of a gay festival, The Sun can reveal.

The troubled singer, 47, was held on suspicion of being unfit to drive after he lost control of his Range Rover and it smashed into a Snappy Snaps.

The impact buckled a door frame and shattered windows at the photo store in posh Hampstead, North London – near the star’s home.

The singer – who only last year ended a two-year ban for drug driving – was held at 3.35am on Sunday after London’s Gay Pride parade.

He was quizzed at a nearby police station and released on bail. He must return next month.

Cops said: “A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of being unfit to drive.”

Last night the singer’s spokesman refused to comment.

According to the article, George Michael is buying a home in Sydney, Australia.  It says:

It’s understood Michael recently splashed out $6 million for a slick three-storey, five-bedroom pad on mega-exclusive Whale Beach Rd, overlooking Palm Beach cliffs.

Boasting a lap pool, glass walls, a terrace and a huge deck, the home is described as “ideal for entertaining” which is perfect for the ex-Wham! singer who makes no secret of his love of a good time.

You know it’s a bad news day when a photo of George Michael driving around with his dog makes the news … George Michael caught dogging again

According to Hampstead and Highgate Express, George Michael’s security guard called the police after he found the door of George Michael’s house open, with the lights open and no one home. 

A Camden police spokesman said: “We can confirm we attended an address in Highgate sometime after midnight on Tuesday morning. The occupant was found safe and well at a nearby address. There was nothing suspicious to report.”

In an interview with BBC 5 Live, David Furnish (Elton John’s partner) has said he’s concerned for the health, state of mind and general wellbeing of singer George Michael.

When asked about George Michael David Furnish replied: “The difficult thing for Elton and me is a lot of George’s friends keep calling us saying ‘you have to do something, George is in a bad way, he’s in a bad state.’ We’re only reacting to what his close friends say to us. I respect George, I love George, I think he’s a huge talent. I just hope he’s fine, I hope he’s well and his reaction is the press it is what it is. I just hope he’s well and happy and continues to be the great artist he is.

“George has to want to help himself. If he wants help we’re here for him, if he doesn’t want help that’s fine, that’s his choice too, if he doesn’t think he needs help that’s fine too.”

When asked what Micheal’s friends saying about his health, Furnish said: “They’re saying that they’re very concerned. A lot of people are saying it to us, we get it very very regularly, that they are concerned about his health, concerned about his state of mind and his wellbeing and that as Elton has been there and experienced sobriety now for 19 years, that perhaps he’s best positioned to be able to help out. But if George feels he doesn’t need help and his life is in check and balance, then maybe his friends are wrong. I haven’t seen him in such a long time, it’s difficult to judge and pass comment.”

Jason sends us: George Michael: ‘All I really need is music, sex and TV’.

In these extracts from an interview with Simon Hattenstone, the singer George Michael talks about his musical legacy, his attitude towards sex, and his drug use. He starts by considering whether he would be happy with his professioanl achievements if he had died after a recent road accident.

Also, check out George Michael: ‘I’m surprised I’ve survived my own dysfunction’.

According to the BBC:

Jonathan Ross has been presented with the 2009 Music Industry Trusts’ Award by George Michael at a charity dinner in London.

The prize, now in its 18th year, is given annually “in recognition of services to music broadcasting”.

The Sun has photos of George Michael’s Range Rover after the accident.

AFP is reporting:

Pop star George Michael was arrested and questioned after his Land Rover car collided with a lorry in Britain, but the singer insisted Saturday he was “stone cold sober” at the time.

The 46-year-old was held in the early hours of Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of drink and drugs, but was released without charge after five hours, the BBC reported.

Michael, the former star of 1980s pop band Wham, later issued a statement insisting he had done nothing wrong.

“Neither of us was charged because we were both stone cold sober. We both think the other is to blame so this is just an insurance fight,” he said, referring to the lorry driver.

“I don’t want my fans or my family worried by what they are reading all over again.”

And I was just thinking how quiet it was in the George Michael world …

•  ‘Dazed’ George Michael held after crashing into a lorry
• Careless driver
• George Michael quizzed over crash

Sandra Bullock tried to impress George Michael with her ’80s dance moves at a nightclub, STV reports.

She said: “Ryan [Reynolds] and I were both trying to out-Wham! George Michael just because we were so happy we were dancing with [him].

“We were doing all the bad Wham! moves and George Michael was not having any of it. He’s a great dancer but we were Whamming it up with the ’80s-style dancing.”