January 16, 2009 14:00

Boy George sentenced to 15 months in prison - Breaking News

Singer begins his sentence with immediate effect

Boy George has been sentenced to serve 15 months in jail.

The former Culture Club singer, tried under his real name George O'Dowd, will start serving his sentence straightaway.

O'Dowd was found guilty of false imprisonment in December.

The case relates to an incident that happened in his east London flat in April 2007. The singer is said to have tied up, beaten and falsely imprisoned a man he had invited into the property.

Male escort Audun Carlsen told Snaresbrook Crown Court how he was tied to O'Dowd's bed after the singer accused him of obtaining private photos from his laptop. O'Dowd is said to have told Carlsen: "Fucking whore! Now you're going to get what you deserve."

O'Dowd chose not to give evidence at the trial. He has also refused to speak publically about the case - although he did make a brief reference to it at his last gig at London's Pigalle club on December 17.

"I like to think you can say a lot by saying nothing," he said. "I'll just say this: none of us are defined by our mistakes."

Newspaper reports today quote O'Dowd's brother David as saying the reason the singer refused to give evidence at the trial was because he didn't want to upset his elderly mother.