Mel Gibson given probation in abuse dispute
AFP
LOS ANGELES- Mel Gibson was ordered to do 16 hours of community service, pursue domestic violence counselling and serve three years' probation, in a deal Friday to end a row over alleged abuse of his ex-partner.
The embattled US actor pleaded no contest in a Los Angeles court to a charge of battery against his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in return for a sentence that does not include jail time.
Police launched an investigation into the Australian-educated actor after Grigorieva released recordings of expletive-ridden abusive telephone calls he allegedly made.
He was also accused of beating her in a January 2010 incident at his Malibu home, which came as they were locked in a bitter custody battle over their daughter, born in October 2009.
Gibson's career has struggled since his 2006 arrest for drunk driving, which exploded into a major scandal because of anti-Semitic remarks he made to a highway patrol officer.
In that case, he was sentenced to three years probation and fined $1,300, after undergoing alcohol rehabilitation.
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