'Popular' Boy George moved to 'less kind' prison

Boy George has been shifted to another prison after some officers were allegedly being 'too kind' to the popular celebrity.

The fallen pop idol was sentenced to 15 months in jail after being found guilty of falsely imprisoning a male escort in his east London flat and beating the 29-year-old after a drug-fuelled nude photo shoot.

The 47-year-old, born as George O'Dowd, was said to have evoked a fan following in the Category B Pentonville Prison in North London.

 The ex-Culture Club star had apparently been by his fellow prisoners, and even guards, for his autograph.

"The governors were taken aback by how popular he was," The Mirror quoted a prison source as saying.

"A lot of the guys are of the age when they remember what a big star he was and how good the Culture Club songs were. But some officers were being too kind and giving him smokes.

"It's ironic that he was worried about getting beaten up in Pentonville but all that happened was people showered him with so much attention and kindness that they had to move him anyway," the source added.

The singer has now reportedly been shifted to a less stringent Category C prison.