Agadoo singer led a '60-man conga of inmates in prison'

'We had a conga of convicts snaking around the jail,' claims Dene Michael Betteridge

He says he was inundated with autograph requests while inside (Press Association)

The frontman of Black Lace has claimed he led a massive conga line in prison with 60 inmates dancing round the exercise yard.

Dene Michael Betteridge, known for the eighties hit songs 'Do The Conga' and 'Agadoo', was imprisoned in July 2016 for six months for falsely claiming almost £25,000 in benefits.

The 59-year-old musician, from Leeds, claimed he was unable to leave his home without assistance despite still performing. He spent 10 weeks in HMP Leeds but has now been released early with an electronic tag.

“Everyone wanted to sing Agadoo with me,” Betteridge told The Sun.

“It was surreal singing the party song about pushing pineapples and shaking the tree in such grim circumstances.”

“But people were obsessed. At night when we were all in our cells, the entire wing was singing in chorus; ‘Agadoo doo doo’.”

He claimed prison officers found the dancing “hilarious” as it was rare to see people enjoying themselves in prison.

““It was very odd but when these terrifying criminals tell you to do something you do it, so we had a conga of convicts snaking around the jail ... All the murderers and drug dealers wanted to be my mate,” he added.

The musician said he was inundated with autograph requests while inside and some of the seasoned inmates saw the conga renditions as potential auditions because they secretly pined for careers in the entertainment industry.

Betteridge joined Black Lace in 1986 and appeared on The Voice on the BBC in 2015.