Drug charge for singer after car crashed into shop

Michael, 47, whose real name is Georgios Panayiotou, also faces charges of possessing cannabis, said Scotland Yard. He was arrested in July after he crashed his Range Rover into a branch of photographic shop Snappy Snaps, in Hampstead, north London.

Michael was not breathalysed at the scene as he insisted to officers he had not been drinking, it was reported at the time. He is thought to have been tested later for drugs at a police station.

The Wham! star, from nearby Highgate, who has a history of drug use, was was charged when he reported to a police station in Camden, north London, yesterday. Scotland Yard said: "He was released on police bail to appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on August 24."

Windows were shattered and the shop's yellow wooden panels were cracked the crash in the early hours of Sunday July 4. A spokeswoman for Michael said there was no comment available.