Mel Gibson 'to avoid jail after striking a plea deal in domestic violence case'
- He'll plead no contest to lesser charge of battery, not 'corporal injury on a spouse'
- District Attorney's Office furious that Gibson's lawyer made details of plea deal public
- Prosecutors still deciding whether to charge Oksana with extortion over leaked tapes
No jail time: Mel Gibson with his ex girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva
Mel Gibson is expected to avoid jail after striking a plea deal in relation to charges stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident with former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.
The Australian actor, 55, has thrashed out an agreement with Los Angeles prosecutors and has made a plea deal in the looming criminal case, according to U.S. reports.
Mel is expected to appear in court on Friday and plead no contest to simple battery - a lower charge than 'corporal injury on a spouse' which commentators had speculated Gibson would be charged with.
Gibson has not yet been formally charged with any wrongdoing in
relation to his alleged January 6, 2010 row with Oksana Grigorieva.
Following the incident several photos surfaced that appeared to show
Grigorieva's injured face.
Several taped conversations reportedly
between Gibson and Grigorieva also leaked to the Press.
According to sources close to Gibson, the actor accepted a plea deal
to avoid a prolonged court fight that would be a strain on his family,
particularly his children.
Mel's lawyer, Blair Berk, said: 'I know from almost 20 years as a criminal defence lawyer that sometimes justice can come for a client at too high a personal price.
'That is particularly so for Mel, whose right to due process can only be
exercised in this case with an enormous media circus attached.'
'Mel's priority throughout all of this has been that the best
interests of his young daughter Lucia and the rest of his children be
put first in any decisions made.
'It is with only that in mind that he asked me to approach the
District Attorney with a proposal that would bring all of this to an
immediate end.'
The District Attorney's Office is said to be furious that Gibson's lawyer made details of the plea deal public in the statement.
Domestic violence claim: Oksana seen here in a picture released last year showing her chipped tooth following an alleged assault by Gibson
According to RadarOnline, Oksana was due to be told today about the state of the case.
A source close to the case told the website: 'For Oksana to have to find out through the media what was going to happen is absolutely unprofessional and makes no sense at all.'
GIBSON'S LAWYER
Prosecutors have not yet announced a decision on whether to charge Grigorieva with extortion, which Gibson has been seeking.
Lawyers for Gibson have claimed that the musician used the leaked tapes of them rowing as 'leverage' when negotiating a deal last year, including a child care settlement.
It came after the former couple struck a deal during a child custody mediation hearing in May.
Caught in the middle: Oksana with her and Mel's child Lucia, pictured here back in January. The child is now 17 months old
Miss Grigorieva signed the deal that awarded her $15 million in child support, a house and other assets.
According to reports, the cash settlement came with a promise that all 'evidence' - namely the voice recordings of Gibson's foul-mouthed rants - relating to the case remained confidential.
The Russian singer later rejected the deal and the tapes were sensationally made public with Mel's camp claiming Oksana threatened to make them public if she wasn't awarded what she was looking for.
The whirlwind romance that turned sour...
- APRIL 13, 2009 Gibson's wife Robyn files for divorce three years after they separated, citing 'irreconcilable differences. It followed the publication of pictures a month before of Gibson on the beach with Oksana
- APRIL 28, 2009 Gibson made his first public appearance with Oksana on April 28 to the LA premiere of Wolverine
- MAY 2009 It was reported that Mel was set to become a father for the eight time after getting Oksana pregnant
- OCTOBER 2009 Oksana gives birth to their daughter Lucia
- APRIL 2010 After a year-long relationship it was announced that the couple had split. Since then, they have waged a bitter custody battle over Lucia and made claims and counterclaims against each other.
- JUNE 2010 Gibson and Oksana both file restraining orders against each other. She alleges he punched her in the face 'more than once' during an altercation on January, 6, 2010, causing a broken tooth and a concussion.
- JULY 2010 Audiotapes of a man widely believed to be Gibson were
posted on celebrity website Radaronline.com, and on them, the man rants
at Grigorieva making racial slurs and sexist comments. For his part, Gibson has claimed that Grigorieva used the audiotapes
to try to extort a better settlement from him over their breakup - a
deal that has been reported to be valued as high as $20 million.
- FEBRUARY 2011: Los Angeles County Sheriffs finished their
investigation into the claims and gave the case to prosecutors. No
charges have been filed against either party.
- FEBRUARY 2011: The opening of a movie he made, The Beaver, was delayed and the cast
of Hangover: Part 2 in which he was scheduled to appear, refused to work
with him. Liam Neeson stepped in to play the part of a tattoo artist for the cameo role
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