George Michael may not go-go to jail. But he clearly went-went to the pharmacy.
It was revealed in London court Wednesday that the erstwhile Wham! frontman was playing host to a veritable "cocktail of drugs" in his system when cops found him last October slumped at the wheel of his Mercedes, which just so happened to be stopped in the middle of an intersection.
Prosecutor Andrew Torrington told the Brent Magistrates Court that a sleeping drug, a "therapeutic quantity" of antidepressants, cannabis and the illegal club drug GHB, also known as liquid ecstasy, was found in the 43-year-old pop star's system at the time of his arrest.
Michael was not present in court for the pharmacological recap; instead, he was represented by his attorney, Michael Grieve. And while Grieve did not contest the drugs found in his client's system, he did argue about which of them caused the singer's impromptu parking job.
Grieve claimed that it was the prescription sleeping pills, not the GHB or cannabis, which led to the singer's soporific state. Grieve also insisted that it's technically possible for GHB to have been present in Michael's system without him actually having ingesting it, because it can be a byproduct of other legal drugs, which the pop star was prescribed.
District Judge Katherine Marshall didn't seem too bothered as to the hows of Michael's condition—just that there was such a condition to begin with. The case had been on hold to allow for expert witnesses to weigh in, though Marshall deemed it "unnecessary" to bring in any additional testimony.
"One looks at the unfitness, not the cause of it," the judge said. "Whatever the level is, that's all you need to look at."
On May 8, the "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" singer pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while unfit, telling Marshall that he was "very distressed" by the whole situation.
"I did something very stupid and I am very ashamed since doing it," he said at the time. "I am perfectly aware that I did something very wrong and got into my car when I was unfit to drive."
Michael was arrested Oct. 1 in the north London suburb of Cricklewood after concerned, and no doubt annoyed, motorists phoned the cops to report a blockage in the road. The blockage turned out to be Michael's car. Passerbys phoned the police after attempts at rapping on Micahel's car window and honking at him failed to rouse the singer.
Michael has maintained that "tiredness and prescribed drugs" are solely to blame for his state. However, during a TV interview earlier this month, the '80s icon attributed his self-confessed self-destructive behavior to the death of his mother, who passed away nearly a decade ago.
During the same interview, while he took pains to say he was not advocating the use of drugs, he pronounced the world "would be an easier place to live in" should more people take up pot smoking.
Michael's sentencing has been pushed back to June 8, the day before his European tour touches down at London's Wembley Stadium, making him the first artist to play the revamped venue. He faces a maximum six-month jail term for the incident; however, due to his guilty plea and the fact that he's a first-time offender will likely result in more leniency.