Rivalling Charlie Sheen for the role of Hollywood villain, Mel Gibson was charged with battery in Los Angeles today.
Prosecutors charged the actor with one count of battery after he was accused of hitting his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in January 2010. Everyone is expecting the 52 year old actor to have no pleaded ‘no contest’ in court today which is essentially the same as’ guilty’.
Speaking of Oksana, Mel has now admitted in a sworn declaration that he did ‘slap her with an open hand’. However, he claims that he did so because he was concerned she was shaking their infant daughter, Lucia, and feared this could harm the child. This is all part of a long running custody battle whose drama has been slap bang in the middle of the public spotlight. Despite his guilty plea, the actor is not expected to receive jail time but will instead be made to undergo counselling for his behaviour.
Mel has also claimed that Oksana was trying to extort money from him during the settlement following their break up. He accused her of ruining his public image with a series of faked (he says) obscene phone calls and messages that she claims were from him.
Sounds like both parties are a bit troubled but considering the guilty plea, it’s a bit of a surprise that Mel won’t be spending any time in the cell. A source involved in the situation said Mel’s guilty plea was solely due to his desire to prevent the scene playing out in the court room, as this would prove upsetting to his family. Fair enough if those are really his intentions. But it seems to us that it might be a bit more upsetting for them to see him convicted of domestic abuse...