For George Michael, there’s no stopping at GOGO; it’s straight to jail, regardless of whether he rolls a double.
Yesterday, George wept as a judge labeled him a drug addict and sentenced him to jail for crashing his Range Rover into a shop. It was about time, indeed.
Most individuals would have faced consequences long before this, and George has little ground to complain. He received an eight-week sentence for driving under the influence of a ‘dangerous and unpredictable’ mix of cannabis and anti-anxiety medications – yet he could be released in just a month.
Yes, that’s correct; he may only serve four weeks. After that, he’ll return to his routine of… whatever it is that George Michael does… lingering around men’s restrooms and idling all day while using drugs, seemingly without a care.
Inevitably, he’ll find himself caught with drugs again, enter rehab, and emerge as a hero. A television series may even come out of this saga.
In contrast, if an average individual faced similar circumstances, they would have lost their job and been forced to rebuild their life from the ground up to avoid repeating such mistakes.
While not everyone follows this pattern, I doubt that George’s four weeks in jail will bring about any real change in him. He’ll likely emerge proclaiming it was the most traumatic experience of his life… which it likely will be.
However, I suspect he might enjoy it… primarily because he won’t have to hang around outside men’s toilets on Hampstead Heath… if you catch my drift.
The judge noted that Michael posed a ‘risk to the public,’ and despite having adequate resources at his disposal, it appears he has failed to take necessary measures to confront his evident cannabis addiction.
Michael, who has attributed his decline to the passing of his mother from cancer in 1997, wept as he was escorted to the cells. His partner, Kenny Goss, also cried.
That must have been an awful experience for him, but we, the ordinary folks, the non-celebrities, often have to deal with similar situations, and sometimes we also fall by the wayside.
He has faced cautions for both cannabis and crack cocaine possession, along with a prior conviction for drug-impaired driving.
This reminds me of a friend of mine who, I assure you, faced no cautions, and had no prior warnings or convictions, and ended up receiving a significantly harsher sentence than four weeks.
Initially, Michael claimed he hadn’t crashed and simply referred to himself as ‘George.’ Not bad going, George… most of us tend to use names like John Smith or Ben Cousins.
He admitted to smoking a ‘small quantity’ of cannabis the night before and also mentioned taking a newly prescribed sedative and anti-anxiety pill, Amitriptyline.
He explained to the police that he opted to drive between his two homes in Highgate and Hampstead and forgot he had taken the sedative.
Now, George, that’s going to anger people. You possess two residences in upscale areas of London while most of us are grappling with the challenge of paying off just one.
You are undoubtedly a talented artist and a remarkable singer in need of assistance… you really ought to 
stop getting caught, my friend. Most people I know who engage in such activities seem to manage it better than you. For heaven’s sake, hire a reliable chauffeur. Surely, there’s someone trustworthy out there. There was no reason for you to drive. Each time you’ve been apprehended with drugs in a vehicle, I find myself wondering, is this guy for real?
I understand that being a high-profile star means the press is always in your face. It must be incredibly frustrating, something unimaginable to anyone who’s not dealing with a barrage of cameras.on you, or making attempts to capture moments of you every time you leave your home.
The QC requested that he avoid jail time, clarifying that the incident occurred while Michael was working to change his life after being dependent on prescription drugs for his anxiety, depression, and insomnia for years.
However, District Judge John Perkins expressed concern over the singer’s record, stating: ‘Your history is troubling. It includes two cautions for possession of cannabis in 2006, a conviction at Brent Magistrates in 2007 that resulted in a two-year disqualification from driving for your first driving while unfit offence, and another caution for possession of class A and class C drugs in September 2008.
Mukul Chawla QC, representing Michael, informed the court of the singer’s feelings of ‘shame and horror’. ‘The thought of having endangered anyone else is a horrifying thought for him.’
The judge sentenced him to eight weeks in prison, prohibited him from driving for five years, and mandated a £1,250 fine, which amounts to roughly 50 cents for most of us.
However, George did cover the repair costs at the Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead near his residence, as stated by his lawyer.
In an unexpected revelation, he disclosed that he secretly entered a 14-day detox program the day following the crash in July, an effort that, while commendable, is unlikely to secure his freedom. Let’s be honest, George, isn’t that the very reason you initiated the ’14 day detox program’?
It is thought that the personal issues Michael mentioned were related to the passing of his late boyfriend Anselmo Feleppa, who died from an AIDS-related brain hemorrhage in 1993, and his mother Lesley Angold Harrison, an English dancer who succumbed to cancer in 1997.
Until this year, Michael had disregarded earlier pleas from concerned friends like Sir Elton John and Bono to give up smoking marijuana.
Pot, kettle, black…I dislike stars who have overcome ‘the drugs thing’ and then preach to others about quitting just because they have.
As for myself, I won’t stop drinking until Julia Gillard concedes that she is a robot. She talks..so..much..like..one…
Michael, who was filmed during his greatest hits tour, previously remarked: ‘It’s a fantastic drug, but clearly it’s not healthy. You can’t afford to smoke it if you have responsibilities. It would be reckless to do so.’
Indeed, George, like operating a vehicle.
That said, he was thought to have reduced his intake from 25 marijuana joints per day a few years ago to now just eight daily.
Well, you’ve been caught… so you’ll need to deal with it. And remember, you understand better than most that ‘pain is good for your art’, so with all this happening, perhaps we can look forward to some incredible new songs from you.
by Wallace McTavish
