The jury in the trial of Boy George, who stands accused of assaulting a male escort, has retired to consider its verdict.

Audun Carlsen claims that the former Culture Club star, whose real name is George O’Dowd, chained him up to a wall in his house in Shoreditch in April last year.

The pair first met each other at a pornographic photo shoot after making contact on the social networking website Gaydar.

O'Dowd, who decided not to testify, alleges that Carlsen hacked into his personal computer after their first meeting.

When the pair met again at the former Culture Club singer's house, the escort claims he was assaulted and tied to a wall.

The court was told during the trial, which has lasted over a week, that Carlsen had sold his story to a Norwegian magazine so that he could flee the UK.

(by Jason Gregory)