Boy George won't give evidence
2008-12-03 10:23
London - Singer Boy George will not
give evidence at a trial where he is accused of falsely
imprisoning a Norwegian male escort by handcuffing him to a
wall, his lawyer told Snaresbrook Crown Court in London on
Tuesday.
The 47-year-old, being tried under his real name George
O'Dowd, denies falsely imprisoning Audun Carlsen at his flat in
April last year.
The former Culture Club frontman says he asked Carlsen back
after a pornographic photo shoot in January because he suspected
him of stealing pictures from his computer.
Carlsen says George handcuffed him to a wall and beat him
with a chain because he was angry that he refused to sleep with
him when they first met in January.
When judge David Radford asked O'Dowd's lawyer Adrian
Waterman whether his client would be called to give evidence,
Waterman replied: "No", the Press Association reported.
'Forcibly handcuffed and beaten'
Carlsen has told the court how injuries he sustained in
April, 2007, were because he was forcibly handcuffed and beaten.
George counters that the injuries were consistent with bondage
gear he had worn.
Waterman asked Home Office pathologist Ashley Fegan-Earl
whether items like chains and straps, which the jury heard were
in the flat on the night in question, might explain a wound to
Mr Carlsen's left forearm.
"You describe a variety of objects there. The one that comes
to mind immediately is a collar with studs," the pathologist
replied.
"An object such as that would be consistent with producing
such an injury because the nature of the injury is a laceration,
a split in the skin, but also a puncture wound."
Fegan-Earl told the court that he could not see any injury
to Carlsen's face, and suggested at the very most "there may be
a degree of puffiness below the lower eyelids".
Waterman asked if any swelling could be explained by the
evidence that Carlsen had taken cocaine, had not slept all night
and had worn make-up and glitter on his face.
"Yes, I think all of those are plausible explanations,"
Fegan-Earl said. The case continues.