George Michael ‘ashamed’ of drug driving incident
The 43-year-old singer admitted the charge on the first day of his trial at Brent Magistrates’ Court in north west London, claiming he was guilty due to “tiredness and prescribed drugs”.
A further charge of being in charge of a vehicle while unfit through drugs was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Michael, from north London, was arrested in Cricklewood on October 1 last year after motorists reported a car obstructing the road at traffic lights. Police found the singer slumped at the wheel of his Mercedes.
Michael, whose birth name is George Panayiotou, appeared confused in court yesterday and needed to consult his lawyer before confirming that he pleaded guilty.
At first he also sat in the wrong seat in the courtroom and was ordered into the dock by the judge.
The former Wham! star, dressed in blue jeans, a black jacket and a black shirt, took the unusual step of addressing District Judge Katherine Marshall directly.
“I did something very stupid and I am very ashamed since doing it,” he said.
The case was adjourned until May 30, to hear expert witnesses and to enable more tests on a blood sample taken at the time of Michael’s arrest.
The star will play a sell-out concert at Wembley on June 9, the first in the new stadium, as part of his European tour.
