George Michael case before magistrates today

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Pop icon George Michael will face charges of being unfit to drive today, following an incident last October when he was found by police in his car in Cricklewood, north London, allegedly passed out.

It is not thought that Michael, 43, will appear in person before magistrates in Brent north west London, and his lawyers are expected to enter a plea in his absence.

Members of the public had called the police in the early hours of October 1st to deal with a Mercedes Benz S-Class car which was obstructing traffic lights.

Michael was found at the wheel semi-conscious, taken to hospital and then arrested for suspected possession of drugs.

2006 was a bad year for the former Wham! front man, who came out of the closet in 1998 after being arrested in Los Angeles for cottaging.

In February Michael was arrested for possession of cannabis, in May he was discovered slumped over the wheel of his Range Rover and in July the tabloids went into a frenzy when he was discovered cruising for sex on Hampstead Heath.

However, recently the former Wham! front man has had a sell-out European tour and was reportedly paid £1.5m by a Russian billionaire to perform a one hour set at a New Years Eve party in Moscow.