Boy George celebrates prison release

Boy George has admitted that it is "great to be out" of prison after serving four months of a 15-month sentence.

The former Culture Club star was released yesterday after serving time for imprisoning a male escort at his Shoreditch home and beating him with a metal chain.

Speaking to The Mirror outside Suffolk's Edmunds Hill Prison, he said: "It's great to be out. It's a bit daunting, but it's nice. It went fine."

The 47-year-old, real name George O'Dowd, was greeted at around 10.30am by six friends and relatives who had been waiting for two hours outside the jail gates. He was then driven to his North London home where more friends arrived carrying food.

However, the star's brother Kevin said: "We don't drink, so there's definitely not going to be any of that kind of celebrating going on."

O'Dowd, who was released early for good behaviour, will reportedly have to wear an ankle monitoring tag, adhere to a curfew and report regularly to a probation officer.