Boy George News

In the eyes of a British jury, Boy George really did want to hurt him.

A London court found the former Culture Club crooner guilty on Friday of falsely imprisoning a male escort George hired for an erotic porn shoot.

The 47-year-old entertainer, whose full name is George O'Dowd, faced charges for handcuffing 28-year-old Audun Carlsen to a wall in the singer's apartment last April and roughing Carlsen up before the man managed to wriggle free of the restraints, flee the flat and seek help.

During the two-week trial, jurors heard Carlsen testify that he was invited over by the "Karma Chameleon" purveyor to take nude photos, only to wind up in shackles after being accused of swiping photos off George's computer.

According to Carlsen, the accusations were merely an excuse for George and another man to get nasty. The escort claimed the two held him down and repeatedly beat him with a metal chain because he refused to have sex with the singer.

While the Norwegian native did admit to having a previous sexual liaison with George that involved S&M, he rejected suggestions made by the '80s popster's attorney that he had acquiesced to another such tryst.

The entertainer declined to take the stand in his own defense, but prosecutors played a police interview in which he admitted to handcuffing Carlsen. George will now almost certainly tumble to the slammer.

Judge David Radford allowed the singer to remain free on bail while he awaits his punishment.

"The fact that your bail is being continued does not imply that this will be dealt with by a noncustodial sentence," he said. "I don't want any false expectations created."

Sentencing has been set for Jan. 16.

··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com