Boy George has been a somewhat controversial addition to the I’m a Celebrity line-up, with many fans of the show taking to social media to discuss his assault and false imprisonment conviction which saw him spend 11 months in prison. So what happened?
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Back in 2008, George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, was convicted for the assault and false imprisonment of Auden Carlsen, who upon their second meeting was handcuffed to a wall fixture and beaten by the singer. He denied the charge at the time, claiming that Auden had hacked his laptop and that he had handcuffed him while he tried to find the stolen property.
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At the time of his conviction, Judge David Radford said: Whilst I accept that Mr Carlsen's physical injuries were not serious or permanent, in my view there can be no doubt that your premeditated callous and humiliating handcuffing and detention of Mr Carlsen shocked, degraded and traumatised him.
"He was deprived of his liberty and human dignity without warning or proper explanation to him of its purpose, length or purported justification."
Boy George was sentenced to 15 months in prison
He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, was released four months early due to good behaviour, and wore an ankle monitor for the remainder of his sentence. Following his sentencing, his solicitor told the BBC: "George is on the road to recovery, I sincerely hope this sentence does not knock him back."
While on licensed release from prison, George previously requested to appear on Celebrity Big Brother, but his request was ultimately turned down by the Probation Service, with Mr Justin Bean saying: "I consider that right-thinking members of the public would take the view that an offender serving the non-custodial part of a sentence of imprisonment should not be allowed to take part in a high profile, controversial television production, promoting his status as a celebrity and with considerable financial gain."
Boy George arriving at court for sentencing in 2008
He has since opened up about his prison stint, telling Reader’s Digest back in 2021: "I always maintained that jail would finish me off, but it didn’t. You somehow find the strength. It was a life-changing experience and I feel I came out of that situation with some wisdom and knowledge… I really don’t view that period in my life as a negative… but I wouldn’t want to go back."
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While Auden has yet to speak about Boy George’s appearance on I’m a Celebrity, he previously criticised BBC for allowing him to be a judge on The Voice back in 2016, telling the Mirror: "If a male celebrity beat up a woman with a chain, handcuffed her to a wall and threatened her… there would be a public outcry if he was given a high-profile job at the BBC. But because I am a gay man they think it's okay. It's outrageous."
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