Singer charged over drug crash
13/08/2010
Singer George Michael has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs after crashing into a photographic shop.
The star also faces charges of possession of cannabis, Scotland Yard said. Michael, whose real name is Georgios Panayiotou, was arrested after he smashed his Range Rover into a Hampstead branch of Snappy Snaps in July this year.
Michael told officers he had not been drinking and was not breathalysed at the scene of the accident. But at a police station later he is thought to have been tested for drugs. The Wham! star, from nearby Highgate, who has a history of drug use, was on police bail following the crash.
He was charged when he reported to a police station in Camden, north London, on Thursday. In a statement Scotland Yard said: "He was released on police bail to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on August 24."
A short time after the crash in the early hours of Sunday July 4, a spokesman for Snappy Snaps confirmed the damage to the shop. Windows were shattered and the shop's yellow wooden panels were cracked.
A spokeswoman for George said there was no comment available.
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