A man who was handcuffed to a wall by Boy George has slammed the pop star‘s £500,000 I’m A Celeb deal.
Audun Carlsen, 43, says he is haunted by the 2007 ordeal that landed George, 61, in jail. He says: “I still see the monster that he is every time I see him. It’s hurtful that ITV give him that platform.”
The Culture Club singer was jailed in 2009 over the attack.
Read more: Strictly spoiler leaks 'ridiculous' result after fans kept waiting again
Angry Audun says George, 61, should not be on Celeb – let alone be its highest-paid star on a reported £500,000.
Branding George a “monster”, Audun, 43, told The Mirror : “Had I been a woman and he did what he did, he would never have been given the platform. It’s hurtful that big organisations like ITV give him that platform.
“I think giving him this sort of platform and a record fee sends the wrong message to survivors of violence and abuse and is plain wrong.”
Boy George, real name George O’Dowd, has said he was high on cocaine and having a psychotic episode at the time of the attack. He sought treatment afterwards and has been drug-free since. George pleaded not guilty to false imprisonment and has always denied a court claim that he beat Audun with a chain.
But he was convicted of assault and false imprisonment and jailed for 15 months.
He made a comeback that included a stint on BBC show The Voice.
And in 2017 he appeared on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories and broke down talking of the event.
He said: “I sent myself to prison. I told police why I did what I did. I was having a psychotic episode. I was a drug addict so I can’t say my reasons for doing it were founded in any way. But I told the truth. I have always denied beating the guy.”
Audun told the Mirror, “I still see the monster that he is every time I see him. He hasn’t changed. I’m not going to watch I’m A Celeb, and I love that show. I might watch him doing a Bushtucker Trial. But I won’t vote for him, I won’t participate. Being in there is too easy for him. When it gets scary he can say ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here’. I couldn’t do that when I was chained to his wall.”
Audun and George met in January 2007 after the Karma Chameleon singer got in touch on a dating site, asking if he could book him for a modelling job for his clothing range.
They met at George’s flat in Shoreditch, East London, drank wine and took cocaine. But things turned sour when former escort Audun said George made unwanted sexual advances.
Audun left but the pair stayed in touch and agreed to meet up again three months later.
He recalls: “He said he wanted to get milk. I heard him talking, I thought it was a neighbour. Then he asked me to come to the bedroom and there he was with another man.
“They jumped on me, kicked, dragged me along the floor. He handcuffed me to the wall and told the man to go, saying he’d deal with me from now on. The guy was there for 20 minutes. I was hooked to the wall for about half an hour. I was s*** scared.”
The other man was never identified. Judge David Radford told the star at Snaresbrook Crown Court, that he acted with “gratuitous violence”, adding: “Whilst I accept Mr Carl-sen’s physical injuries were not serious or permanent, there can be no doubt that your premeditated, callous and humiliating handcuffing and detention of Mr Carlsen shocked, degraded and traumatised him.”
George denied punching Audun or swinging a chain at him as he fled in his boxer shorts, trainers and a pair of handcuffs.
Audun has been in therapy for a decade and has been diagnosed with PTSD.
George made a public apology in 2017. But Audun, who now works in hospitality, didn’t find it genuine and wants a personal apology. He adds: “I can always forgive, but it has to come from a truthful place.”
An ITV source defended the channel’s decision to hire George. They said: “This is a historic, spent conviction and George has appeared on major TV networks globally on numerous occasions since over the last decade.”
A spokesman for the star said: “George went to jail for four months willingly after openly confessing to false imprisonment during a psychotic break 15 years ago whilst in the midst of a well documented drug problem.
“Not only has he been a pillar of society ever since, but he also remains sober to this day.
“He apologised publicly on Piers Morgan’s life stories and we are very proud of him for his rehabilitation.
“Everyone is entitled to a second chance and George has certainly earned it.”
I’m A Celeb is the latest primetime ITV show to face controversy. The broadcaster improved aftercare after the suicides of a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show and two Love Island contestants.
READ NEXT:
