George Michael 'begged' cops not to charge him after crack arrest

Herald online

23 Sep, 2008 03:55 AM4 mins to read

Singer George Michael was recently cautioned for possession of drugs, Photo / Supplied

KEY POINTS:

UPDATED:

Shamed singer

George Michael

reportedly begged cops

not to charge him

for possession of drugs after he was caught red handed in a public toilet.

Michael was

arrested on Friday

after being caught in a loo on Hampstead Heath in north London for possession of crack cocaine and cannabis. He was later released with a caution.

"The caution was [issued] for the possession of Class A and Class C drugs, cocaine and cannabis," a spokesperson for Scotland Yard told the

Telegraph

. "He was released and no further action will be taken."

Careless whimper

British tabloid

The Sun

now claims Michael "tearfully begged" the boys in blue not to charge him, saying that a conviction could get him barred from America - where he's due to perform at an AIDS benefit gig next month.

George, 45, allegedly claimed his charity would lose $2million in ticket sales if he had to cancel his appearance.

A snitch says: "He was very emotional. He kept saying, 'Please, you'll ruin my career'. His sob story worked - he escaped with a caution. He was even chauffeured home. He only got away with it because of his celebrity status."

The

Careless Whisper

hitmaker (real name Yorgos Kyriakou Panayiotou) has since issued a statement lamenting his arrest.

He said: "I want to apologise to my fans for screwing up again, and to promise them I'll sort myself out. And to say sorry to everybody else, just for boring them."

Bored is the operative word. Georgie Porgy's fans are so over his shenanigans. Infact, several George Michael forums are buzzing with fan apathy.

One dismayed fan writes: "I'm sick of him spending our hard-earned money on drugs."

"That, to me, is the sad part, that George shows signs of stupidity I only thought people such as Pete Doherty were capable of," says another.

Meanwhile, former Scotland Yard commander John O'Connor says,"He should have been prosecuted. He's clearly out of control. What does he have to do to be dealt with properly?"

Good question.

The trouble with George

This latest arrest is one of many involving the beleaguered star, drugs and clandestine public toilet trips.

Michael was infamously arrested for "engaging in a lewd act" with an undercover police officer in a Beverly Hills loo in 1998.

The hairy crooner later declared his homosexuality to the world and lampooned his arrest with his 'coming out' song

Outside

- accompanied by a fabulous video featuring spinning urinals, gleaming mirror balls, and the kind of sultry overtones that would make a porn star blush.

*Warning:

the following video contains scenes of a racy nature.

He later told

magazine during an interview that "running naked up and down London's Oxford Street singing 'I Am What I Am' would have been a more dignified way to come out".

Probably. But we all make mistakes.

And who can forget his 2006 arrest for possession of Class C drugs, after cops found him slumped over in his car near his north London home.

Ironically, Michael recently declared that he was retiring from showbiz to concentrate on "the quiet life".

The sad thing is that Michael is a vocal tour de force, yet he seems intent on self-destructing and eradicating what modicum of respect we still have for him.

Sort it out, George. We miss the glorious entertainer of old.

UPDATE:

George Michael has been snapped

fleeing the UK

with his partner

Kenny Goss

. The pair were spotted leaving their London mansion with six large suitcases in tow.

A snitch says,"They looked like they were going away for some time with the amount of luggage they had. They checked all the locks and made sure the lights were switched off too, all the things you do before you go abroad."

They were then driven to a private airfield. Ultimate destination unknown. Stay tuned...

What do you think? Did George get off with a caution because of his celebrity status? Is it one law for us, and another for the rich and famous?

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