Arrest warrant issued for Boy George

A judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Boy George after the former Culture Club singer failed to appear in a New York court, but the warrant was stayed pending his return at a later hearing.

Judge Anthony Ferrara said he would hold a hearing on June 26 to decide whether the singer, real name George O’Dowd, violated the terms of his conditional discharge after pleading guilty in March to third-degree false reporting of an incident.

The charge followed his false report of a burglary at his Lower Manhattan apartment where police found cocaine.

Under his plea deal, O’Dowd was to enter a drug programme in England and do five days of community service in Manhattan. He was also supposed to pay a $1,000 (€790) fine and a $160 (€126) dollar surcharge, and avoid arrest for any reason during the next six months.

The singer was scheduled to appear in court yesterday to explain why he wanted to change the terms of his sentence.

Judge Ferrara complained that O’Dowd had not paid the fine or the surcharge and had never reported to begin fulfilling the community service requirement.

“I put people in jail who don’t pay fines,” the judge told O’Dowd’s lawyer, Louis Freeman. “Why shouldn’t I do that?

“I think it’s important that Mr O’Dowd be treated like any other defendant,” he said.

Freeman said he had told O’Dowd, who was in England, that he did not have to appear yesterday but that he should be ready to fly to New York on a moment’s notice. He said the singer would be present for his next court date.

Judge Ferrara said that on June 26 he would issue a final order as to what O’Dowd must do.

Freeman said O’Dowd hoped to do something more worthwhile than sweeping New York City’s streets.

“There’s nothing wrong with that if that’s part of his punishment,” Freeman said, “but it will turn into a media circus and the press will be following him every day.”

Freeman said the singer intended to comply with the terms of his conditional discharge, but he hoped to work with an HIV/Aids charity while taking part in an outpatient drug treatment programme for himself.

Judge Ferrara ridiculed Freeman’s community service proposals, which included helping teenagers make a public service announcement, holding a fashion and makeup workshop, serving as a DJ at an HIV/Aids benefit and doing telephone outreach.

The judge said he understood the objection to street cleaning: “It’s humiliation,” he said.