Boy George is handed 15-month jail sentence


January 17, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Boy George is handed 15-month jail sentence

LONDON — A British judge has sentenced former Culture Club frontman Boy George to 15 months in jail after he was convicted of falsely imprisoning a male escort.

Last year, Norwegian escort Audun Carlsen told a trial that in 2007 he was handcuffed to a wall hook at the east London apartment of the singer — whose real name is George O’Dowd. Prosecutors said Carlsen was held by O’Dowd for under an hour. The singer had denied the charges, but he was convicted in December. O’Dowd was sentenced on Friday.

Today’s birthdays

Actress Betty White is 87. Actor James Earl Jones is 78. Talk-show host Maury Povich is 70. Singer Steve Earle is 54. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 52. Singer Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles is 50. Actor Jim Carrey is 47. Actor Actor Naveen Andrews (“Lost”) is 40. Musician Kid Rock is 38. Actress Zooey Deschanel (“Elf,” “The Good Girl”) is 29.