The London Daily News

Singer George Michael has been charged with several offences after smashing his car into a shop front.

The East Finchley born celebrity will face court accused of possession of cannabis and driving under the influence of drink or drugs.

The 47-year-old crashed his car into Snappy Snaps on the way back from Gay Pride celebrations in central London in the early hours of Sunday morning, July 4 on Hampstead Heath. He appears in court on August 24.

Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou's arrest is the latest in a series of brushes with the law, which began in 1998 for "engaging in a lewd act" with an undercover police officer in a Beverley Hills toilet. Michael was also arrested in 2006 for possession of marijuana, and again the following year after being found at the wheel of his car "unfit to drive through drugs".

He pleaded guilty to the 2007 charge and received a two-year driving ban. In 2008, Michael was again arrested in a public toilet near Hampstead Heath and cautioned by police for possession of a controlled substance.

Following the 2008 arrest, Michael said:

"I want to apologise to my fans for screwing up again, and to promise them I'll sort myself out. And to say sorry to everybody else, just for boring them."

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