‘Freedom! You gotta give for what you take!’ These lyrics have come back to haunt George Michael as he was sentenced to give up his freedom for taking the piss by driving under the influence of cannabis yet again. District Judge John Perkins sentenced Michael, aka Giorgios Panayiotou, to eight weeks in jail, with a minimum of four at the Highbury Corner Magistrates Court following a crash in July this year. In the crash, the former Wham front man had been driving home from London’s gay Mardi Gras, when he ploughed his car into a photo shop in North London. Police attending found him completely out of it and a tell tale two whacky backy joints in his possession.
In sentencing, the judge said “It does not appear that you took proper steps to deal with what is clearly an addiction to cannabis. That’s a mistake which puts you and, on this occasion, the public at risk.” The judge said he had taken into account that Michael had sought help for his addiction to cannabis and painkillers after the crash, but said that a jail term was necessary to keep him from the Outside because of his past convictions. “I accept entirely that you have shown remorse for the offence, that you are ashamed of it, that you admitted it.” Michael sighed as the sentence was read out, while fans sobbed and his long term partner , Kenny Goss, held his head in his hands as Michael was led away to then be driven away in a prison van through a media scrum.
