Boy George Sentenced to 15 Months

Boy George was sentenced today in a London court to 15 months in jail over the unlawful imprisonment of a Norwegian male escort.

George had been accused of chaining the escort to the wall of his apartment and beating him in an April 2007 incident. The singer claimed that he had invited him to discuss suspected tampering done to George's computer by the escort on a previous visit. The escort was able to pull one of the restraining bolts from the wall and escape.

Most had expected a sentence of around three months and were surprised by the severity of the punishment handed down. Judge David Radford said "This offense is so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment can be justified for it. Taking into account the aggravating and such mitigating factors as there are, the sentence of the court is one of 15 months imprisonment."