George Michael To Do His Time

The legal team representing the pop star with a penchant for pot had reportedly withdrawn his application to appeal the sentence just hours ahead of a scheduled bail hearing at London’s Blackfriars Crown Court Sept. 17.

A court representative said a letter from criminal defense firm Burton Copeland stated the 47-year-old singer was officially “abandoning the appeal.”

The lawyers were expected to appeal the sentence on the grounds the singer’s eight-week sentence is “excessive.” They were also expected to argue that it would be unfair to keep their client in jail because he would have served the entire sentence before the appeal could be heard.

Michael was jailed for eight weeks Sept. 14 and hit with a $1,930 fine. He was found guilty of being in possession of drugs and also under the influence when he crashed his Range Rover into a Snappy Snaps photo store in Hampstead, north London, July 4.

Michael has become renowned for his driving escapades and he has a previous conviction for driving under the influence of drugs.

In February 2006 he was found slumped at the wheel of his car at London’s Hyde Park Corner. Two months later he hit three parked cars while trying to pull out of a parking space, resulting in the singer admitting he’s “a terrible driver.”

In October that year, he was found slumped over the wheel of his car, blocking an intersection as he was at the head of a line of cars when the traffic lights turned to green. He pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and was sentenced to community service.

Under English parole guidelines, Michael could be eligible for release after serving only half of his current sentence.