Jail warning for Boy George

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Boy George: admitted wasting police time

Singer Boy George is set to spend five days doing a community service job such as raking leaves in New York as his punishment for wasting police time, his lawyer said today.

The former Culture Club star, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was given a stern warning by a judge that if he did not fulfil the sentence by the end of August he would be locked up.

Earlier this month at Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Anthony Ferrara blasted the singer for not turning up to a hearing when he had neither paid a 1,000 dollar (£550) fine nor signed up for community service.

He also ridiculed the 45-year-old's proposal that he should spend the time at an HIV/Aids charity offering services such as a fashion and make-up workshop.
Today he said it was the musician's choice whether the task he was given humiliating or humbling.

The details of exactly what the singer will do for his community service instead were kept under wraps.

But his lawyer, Louis Freeman said: "It's probably raking leaves in Central Park or something like that. He's ready to do it."

O'Dowd said: "I never made any suggestion I wouldn't do the community service."
Asked if he would be sweeping streets he replied: "I've always been a scrubber."

Judge Ferrara told O'Dowd in court: "This is a simple matter of five days of community service.

"It's up to you as to whether it will be an exercise in humiliation or an exercise in humility. Your choice."

He added: "I'm going to make you a promise: if you do the community service you go through that door," pointing to the door out of the court.

"But if you don't do it you go through that door," he said, pointing instead to the door behind his desk where prisoners are taken out.

"You must bring your toothbrush."

The judge added: "I'm not going to give you another chance."

In March, O'Dowd was spared a possible prison sentence under a plea bargain which saw him admit wasting police time by claiming his apartment in New York had been burgled last year, while a cocaine possession charge against him was dropped.

Mr Freeman said the fine together with a 160 dollar (£90) surcharge had now been paid.

O'Dowd, who was wearing a black suit over a black T-shirt and brown trainers, left the courthouse clutching a piece of paper telling him what his community service was.

He had nodded sombrely as the judge warned him of the consequences of not complying with it by August 28.

He was also ordered to go on a drug rehabilitation programme as part of his sentence.

Outside court, Mr Freeman explained that the singer had proposed working at an Aids organisation giving moral support to suffering children, or holding a concert from which the profits would go to charity.

But the judge wanted to make sure the star was treated just like everybody else, he said.

"The judge said that you either make it a humiliating experience or a humbling experience and he is making it a humbling experience," Mr Freeman added.

He said the delay in paying the fine had come about because he wanted to deal with all aspects of the sentence together.

Judge Ferrara told O'Dowd he had not sought to "denigrate" his suggestion of helping at the Aids charity, saying the singer could still do the work on a voluntary basis as well as his community service if he wanted.

Mr Freeman said his client would prefer to do the five days of work consecutively.

O'Dowd, whose 1980s hits include Karma Chameleon and Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?, had pleaded guilty to third degree false reporting of an incident.

He was arrested on October 7 after officers were called to his rented Little Italy apartment and found a small amount of cocaine.

Judge Ferrara had issued a warrant for his arrest after his no-show earlier this month but stayed it pending his return to court today.

 

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