Carr crowned 'Australian Idol' winner

Wes Carr has become the sixth winner of Australian Idol.

The performer beat off competition from Luke Dickens to be crowned victor of the reality competition.

Carr, 26, was previously in a band with Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies and has been performing live since the age of 14.

In his acceptance speech he praised a long list of people, including his rival Dickens: "And to this man, Luke, he is the most amazing man. I'm the godfather of his child, this here is the man and that is why he is here."

Speaking before the announcement, Carr described his fear about joining the competition: "The most difficult thing about Australian Idol was walking into the audition room. That was really hard for me and it could have destroyed my career."

Carr wins a record deal with Sony, a car and $200,000 AUS (£84,000) towards developing his skills.

Despite poor ratings for the sixth outing of the popular show, producer Stephen Tate insists it won't be axed. "We have already begun planning next year," the Australian Daily Telegraph quotes him as saying.