BOY GEORGE - BOY GEORGE TOLD COMPLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE OR GO TO JAIL

LATEST: A New York judge today (26JUN06) ordered BOY GEORGE to complete five days of community service before the end of August (06) or he will be sent to prison. The singer - real name GEORGE O'DOWD - has yet to be told what form of community service he will have to undertake at the Manhattan Criminal Court hearing. Pointing to the court exit, Judge ANTHONY FERRARA says, "It's up to you as to whether it will be an exercise in humiliation or an exercise in humility. If you do community service, you go out that door. "I'm going to make you a promise. If you don't do this community service, you go through the back door (to prison). "I'm not going to give you another chance." George's lawyer LOUIS FREEMAN says the community service could be "raking leaves in Central Park or something like that". In March (06), George was given a conditional discharge plus a $1,000 (GBP550) fine and ordered to go on a drug rehabilitation programme after falsely reporting a burglary at his Manhattan home last year (05). Police who arrived at his apartment discovered cocaine there. He escaped prison on a plea bargain after pleading guilty to third-degree false reporting of an incident. The cocaine possession charge was dropped, but he must now complete five days of community service. George was ridiculed by Judge Ferrara earlier this month (16JUN06) after his lawyer proposed he spends his time at an AIDS/HIV charity helping sufferers with their make-up. He claimed street cleaning would be demeaning and prompt a media circus, but Judge Ferrara insisted the plea bargain, which helped him escape more serious charges, involved some humiliation.