Boy George banned from Big Brother

Dec 23 2009

Former Culture Club singer Boy George has been evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house - before the programme even starts.

The 48-year-old singer and DJ - real name George O'Dowd - was seeking at the High Court to quash a decision by the Probation Service banning him from the Channel 4 programme, which begins on January 3.

But Mr Justice Bean dismissed his application. He will give his reasons for the decision later on Wednesday.

The singer is free under licence after serving four months of his 15-month sentence for assaulting and falsely imprisoning rent boy Audun Carlsen, 29.

Alison MacDonald, representing Boy George, told the judge on Tuesday that the "internationally-renowned singer-songwriter and DJ" was challenging the probation service's decision to revoke the permission given by his supervising probation officer allowing him to appear on the show.

She said the decision was based on fears that the service "would get another kicking" in the media if Boy George was allowed to appear and it would undermine public confidence in the justice system.

But she said the probation service licence was designed to monitor the singer's behaviour, protect the public and rehabilitate rather than punish him.

Boy George admitted that heroin and other drugs had "got him into trouble" and that under their influence he behaved "in an appalling way" towards Mr Carlsen. He deeply regretted it and "wholly deserved" his prison sentence.

She had claimed it would be wrong to punish Boy George by not allowing him to appear on Big Brother, for which he had reportedly already agreed a £200,000 fee.

But Richard Clayton QC, representing the Probation Service, argued that allowing George to use the show to promote his status as a celebrity and earn "a lucrative sum of money" could undermine public confidence in the criminal justice system.