Move to open jail for George Michael

The 47-year-old, whose real name is Georgios Panayiotou, was jailed on Tuesday for eight weeks after crashing his Range Rover while high on cannabis.

Michael, who was taken to Pentonville Prison in north London, will be downgraded from a category C prisoner to category D and transferred to an open prison, a source said.

It is understood the move will take place next week.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Prisoners are regularly transferred within the prison estate according to their needs and individual circumstances.”

Michael was found slumped at the wheel of a car after it smashed into a branch of a photo store in north London in July.

The singer, who had a previous conviction for the same offence, was told by District Judge John Perkins there was no option but jail.