George Michael charged by police
Troubled pop icon George Michael has been formally charged following an incident last year when he was found by police in his car in Cricklewood, north London, allegedly passed out.
Members of the public had called the police in the early hours of October 1st to deal with a Mercedes Benz S-Class car which was obstructing traffic lights.
Michael was found at the wheel semi-conscious, taken to hospital and then arrested for suspected possession of drugs.
Police have now confirmed that he has been charged with being unfit to drive, and will appear in front of Brent Magistrates Court on January 11th.
2006 was a bad year for the former Wham! front man, who came out of the closet in 1998 after being arrested in Los Angeles for cottaging.
In February Michael was arrested for possession of cannabis, in May he was discovered slumped over the wheel of his Range Rover and in July the tabloids went into a frenzy when he was discovered cruising for sex on Hampstead Heath.
The singer is bullish about his cannabis use and his cruising. He told Richard and Judy, “you can’t be in shame about the situation if the person isn’t shamed, and I am certainly not that. I should be able to be what I am to young, gay people, which is a man who has succeeded in the industry for 25 years.”
Despite questions over how appropriate a role model he is, his phenomenal success as an artist continues unabated. Tickets for his 50-date European tour sold out within hours, and a single from his latest album reached number one in the UK dance charts.
