Boy George has pleaded not guilty to falsely imprisoning a male escort.
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The former Culture Club frontman appeared before London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court yesterday (28.02.08) to deny charges he had chained 28-year-old Audun Carlsen to the wall of his east London home.
The 46-year-old singer, real name George O’Dowd, is also accused of assaulting the Norwegian escort during the incident which took place on April 28.
George, who arrived for the hearing dressed in black and wearing dark glasses, stood outside the court and smoked a cigarette before entering the building.
He spoke only to enter his not guilty plea, confirm his name and state he understood his bail conditions. He has been ordered to return to Snaresbrook Crown Court to stand trial in November.
Following the 20-minute hearing hearing, George thanked fans who had turned up to offer their support but refused to speak to waiting reporters, simply stating “no comment”.
George was arrested last year, after Carlsen fled the singer’s Shoreditch home wearing just his underpants and telephoned police from a nearby newsagents.
Carlsen – who insists he had only agreed to pose for photos for the Do You Really Want To Hurt Me singer and was not working as an escort – claims George and another man grabbed him and handcuffed him to a hook on the wall.
This is not the first time George has been in trouble with the law.
In 2006, the singer was given community service in New York after being found guilty of wasting police time. George told police a rent boy had stolen from his home, claims which were later proved false.
