For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Singer Boy George chained a male escort to his bedroom wall and beat him with a metal chain as he tried to escape after a naked photo shoot, a court heard today.
The 46-year-old pop star and DJ screamed "f****** whore" as he and another man forced 29-year-old Audun Carlsen to the floor in the singer's Shoreditch home.
Mr Carlsen met the singer - who is being tried under his real name of George O'Dowd - on the Gaydar website. He agreed to the singer's request to pose for a naked photo shoot and arranged to visit O'Dowd's home.
During the first shoot the pair took cocaine together and O'Dowd performed a sex act on the younger man. O'Dowd became briefly suspicious that Mr Carlsen had done something to his laptop but they exchanged email addresses and parted on good terms.
However, in the weeks that followed O'Dowd inundated the young man with emails accusing him of hacking into his computer.
The singer ranted about repeated attempts to hack into his system and claimed "a fixated lesbian" had cloned his machine and was operating it remotely from the United States.
He also accused the young man of ignoring him and said that perhaps he had had second thoughts about allowing the photographs to be taken.
In one email O'Dowd said: "I'm an odd guy... physically superior beings often mistake this for indifference."
But he also said: "I would be perfectly happy to see you naked asap, you have a gem of an arse."
They made a date for another photo shoot and the singer sent an email saying he was looking forward to seeing the younger man's "heavenly butt".
However, after the second photo shoot O'Dowd beckoned Mr Carlsen into his bedroom only for the young man to discover that a second unidentified man had joined him there.
He told the court: "As soon as I saw the other guy they were both jumping on me.
"They held me down and beat me. I could not move.
"They pulled me down on to the floor and they were sitting on top of me. The other man didn't beat me he just helped George to hold me down.
"George was slapping me and beating me and punching me and screaming things."
The court heard that the singer was shouting "f****** whore, now you are going to get what you deserve".
Mr Carlsen told the court that he was dragged along the floor towards the bed and a handcuff was put on his right hand. The manacle was attached to a hook drilled into the wall by the bed.
The second man left, Mr Carlsen told the court, and O'Dowd fetched a plastic box from the sitting room. It contained chains, sex toys and leather straps.
Mr Carlsen told the court that he had been able, using the handcuffs as a tool, to unscrew the hook from the wall.
He said: "I was so scared. I managed to get loose and I started running. He tried to stop me but I ran for the front door. I took a bit of time getting the door open and he had a metal chain that he was hitting me with."
The court saw photographs of deep red welts on Mr Carlsen's head and injuries to his arm which he said had been inflicted during the attack.
He managed to escape the flat and ran out on to the street wearing only his underwear and screaming for help.
A man working in a local shop came to his aid and rang the police. Mr Carlsen said that the handcuff that he was still wearing had to be sawn off at the police station. He said: "To this date I don't understand why someone could be so evil and do something like that."
He denied that the incident was a sex game and said that he would never agree to be chained up.
The singer denies the charges against him.
O'Dowd faces one charge of false imprisonment.
The case was adjourned until 10am tomorrow.