December 5, 2008 12:21

Boy George told to expect 'custodial sentence' after guilty verdict

Singer facing prision after been found guilty of falsely imprisoning a male escort

Boy George has been told to expect a custodial sentence after he was convicted today (December 5) of falsely imprisoning and beating a male escort.

Judge David Radford told the singer it was likely he would be sent to prison when he is sentenced on January 16.

"This is a case where custody is the more likely option," Judge Radford said, adding: "The fact that your bail is being continued does not imply that this will be dealt with by a non-custodial sentence. I don't want any false expectations created."

George, who was tried at London's Snaresbrook Crown Court under his real name George O'Dowd, did not speak to reporters as he left the court today.

As NME.COM previously reported, O'Dowd was found guilty of falsely imprisoning male escort Auden Carlsen, 29, and beating him with a metal chain.

Although O'Dowd did not give evidence in the trial, he told police after his initial arrest in April 2007 that Carlsen had obtained lewd photos of the singer from his laptop without asking permission.

Carlsen countered this by telling the court that O'Dowd had made up that story in order to punish him for not having sex with the singer during a previous meeting between the two, reports The Scotsman .

The court heard how O'Dowd and another man had attacked Carsen at the singer's Shoreditch, east London home in November 2007. During the attack, O'Dowd is said to have screamed to Carlsen: "Fucking whore! Now you're going to get what you deserve."

Carlsen told the court that he was then dragged along O'Dowd's bedroom floor and tied to a hook drilled into the wall. After the second man left, O'Dowd taunted Carlsen with a box of sex toys, until Carlsen managed to break free from the hook. He then ran into the street in his underwear and screamed for help.

Carlsen originally met O'Dowd through the social-networking website Gaydar.