George Michael fans have bombarded Snappy Snaps with complaints, accusing the photo chain of orchestrating a publicity stunt by inviting the star to visit any of its shops after he crashed into one of them.
NEWS UPDATE: SNAPPY SNAPS HITS BACK
The news comes a week after Snappy Snaps said it would welcome George Michael to any of its stores nationwide despite him colliding with the chain’s Hampstead branch in July.
In a frantic bid to fend of the complaints from George Michael fans ? which have come by way of visits to the Hampstead store and via email ? the shop’s manager is set to blast the company?s publicity department, which issued the statement last week.
Tonia Katsantonis, a fan of the star, believes it was no coincidence that Snappy Snaps chose to release its Apple iPhone ‘App’ in the week he was released from prison.
Tonia is a member of a ‘Freedom for George Michael’ group on Facebook.
She told us that fans want any funds Snappy Snaps receives from insurance payouts relating to damage from the crash to be donated to one of the singer’s supported charities.
The singer was jailed for eight weeks after crashing his car into Snappy Snaps in Hampstead while under the influence of cannabis, on 4 July.
He was released last week after serving half of an eight-week sentence.
A spokesman for Snappy Snaps said last week: ‘Snappy Snaps welcomes George Michael as a customer and looks forward to seeing him at his local Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead or any of our stores nationwide now that he is out and about again.
‘We are pleased to note that his experience in prison was a positive one and that it has been an inspiration to him.’
George Michael was jailed in September after pleading guilty to driving while unfit through drugs and possessing two cannabis cigarettes.
Snappy Snaps’ head office had yet to respond to the fresh controversy when contacted by Amateur Photographer this morning.
