Boy George made headlines yesterday as he started his 5-day community service sweeping the streets of New York.

But once upon a time the singer thought his punishment for falsely reporting a burlgary at his Manhattan home would be anything but brushing up crisp packets and cigarrette butts.

Just a few months ago he told MTV, "They're not going to make me pick up rubbish, I'm going to teach baseball in Harlem - that's a joke by the way - no, I'm going to work in a hospice."

We bet the singer wish he had been ordered to work in an enclosed space because it was a media scrum as he took to the town yesterday (August 14).

Boy' was swooped on by paparazzi as he tried to do the time for his crime and eventually blew his top, raging, "This is suppossed to be making me humble. Why don't you just let me do it?"

He's got a point...

'SLJ'