Police mugshots don’t tend to show their subjects in the most flattering light. But Will Young ’s was so bad that it is used by police trainers to show rookie cops how NOT to take one.
Will has previously spoken out about his arrest for drink driving when he was just 18. But what the two-time BRIT winner only recently discovered is that his drunken mugshot – which he admits he pulled a funny face for – was then used by the police as an example of how not to book in alleged criminals at the station.
Rather than throw a hissy fit, however, the self-effacing star is now using the mugshot on his Christmas cards.
Speaking at the London Palladium on the last night of his 20 Years Tour – marking two decades since he won Pop Idol – Will said: “I went to the police station to report homophobic abuse. The officer said, ‘Hi Will’, and to this day I don’t know why I said it but I said, ‘Hi, PC Plod’. Anyway, before I could report the crime the officer said that I’d once lost my licence for drink-driving.
“When I asked her how she knew, she told me when they do the national police training, my picture is used as an example of how not to take a picture when you arrest someone.
“I managed to get a copy – and it’s now my Christmas card.”
It’s not quite as eye opening as Will’s Pop Idol rival Gareth Gates’s revelation that he lost his virginity at 17 to a pregnant Jordan, aka Katie Price. But as talent show shockers go, it’s certainly one to remember…
