George Promises To Clean Up

George Michael has apologized for being arrested for drug possession and says he will sort himself out.

He was taken to a police station Sept. 19 and cautioned for having class A and class C drugs, after reportedly being arrested in a London public bathroom.

“I want to apologise to my fans for screwing up again, and to promise them I’ll sort myself out. And to say sorry to everybody else, just for boring them,” George Michael said in a statement.

The drugs are believed to have included marijuana and crack cocaine.

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty told BBC News he didn’t know why Michael was given a relatively mild punishment and he didn’t know the details of the case.

The Home Office Web site says possession of class A drugs can result in up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.

Last month, Michael completed his 25 Live world tour, his first tour in 15 years.

After performing a final sold-out show at the 40,000-capacity Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, he said he won’t do any more big shows.

He claimed he will leave the “bells and whistles” of large-scale tours behind because he wants “a quieter life.”

During the concerts, he performed his hit “Outside” in a police uniform, seemingly a humorous reference to previous arrests.

The song itself refers to his arrest in 1998 when he was detained by an undercover police officer for lewd conduct in a public restroom in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Until that time he had not “come out” in public, but the arrest and subsequent conviction forced him to reveal his homosexuality.

He was found slumped over the wheel of his car in October 2006, and in May he was given a two-year driving ban after pleading guilty to driving while unfit through drugs.

Earlier this year, he signed “a multimillion-pound deal” with publisher HarperCollins to write an autobiography. He says it will be a “no-holds barred” account of his life.