by David Carter
15 September 2010
George Michael has been jailed for eight weeks after being found guilty of causing a car accident whilst under the influence of drugs.
The 47 year old singer was found by police in his Range Rover at 4am last July after he had crashed into a branch of Snappy Snaps photography shop in Hampstead, North London. Officers described him as being ‘spaced out’ and breathing and sweating heavily. He denied that he had crashed into anything, even though he was still sitting in the damaged car, and was arrested after two cannabis cigarettes were found in the car.
This is just the latest in a string of drug-related driving offences for the former Wham! frontman. A previous conviction for the same offence lost him his driving license for two years in 2007.
Despite Michael’s admission of sincere regret, which the judge acknowledged, he was still given custodial sentence and banned from driving for five years. He was also fined £1,250.
Celebrity lawyer Nick ‘Mr Loophole’ Freeman criticised the sentence, saying that the star needed help for his addiction to cannabis and other prescription drugs, not a jail term.