George Michael 'facing demands for £10K a week as protection money'

Singer George Michael has caused quite a stir at the prison in Pentonville where he is jailed, with prison heavies demanding he pay them £10,000 a week to protect him in the showers.

Michael, 47, has been warned he is a prime target for a beating, or worse, and prison gangs have told him he may already have had his Last Christmas.

Cheers greeted him when he arrived at the 1,250-capacity north London prison after being jailed for eight weeks for crashing his car while high on cannabis.

And while some taunted him with choruses of his massive hit Freedom, others shouted: "Where's George Michael? Bring George Michael!"

Jail bosses want him moved to an open prison as soon as possible, as they fear inmates are already queuing up to snap the first photo of him behind bars, and if he is pictured he could sue the prison for a breach of his human rights.

"All celebrity prisoners are 'problems' because they attract more attention. But we have a duty to protect all inmates," The Daily Star quoted a top level Ministry of Justice insider as saying.