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Artist News Legal
Prison warden faces jail over George Michael story selling
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 22 September 2015
A former prison officer has been told that a prison sentence is “inevitable” after she was found guilty of selling information about George Michael’s 2010 jail stint to The Sun.
Amanda Watts pleaded guilty to one count of misconduct in public office. She sold information to The Sun for which she was paid £2100, and which led to five stories appearing in the tabloid. She was bailed pending sentencing next month.
The BBC reports that judge John Bevan told her: “You should understand the fact I’m bailing you until [16 Oct] to enable you to make appropriate arrangements. A prison sentence is inevitable. I’m sure you understand”.
As previously reported, Michael spent four weeks in jail in 2010 after crashing his car into a branch of Snappy Snaps while high on cannabis. Initially sent to Pentonville Prison, he was later moved to Highpoint Prison, which is where Watts was then working.
He claimed at the time that tabloid stories published as a result, it turns out, of the prison officer’s information, were “bollocks”.
