Update: Mel Gibson Avoids Jail in Oskana Assault Case

Celebrity News March 11, 2011 AT 3:25PM
Mel Gibson Avoids Jail in Oskana Assault Case Credit: Alexandra Wyman/WireImage.com

It's official: Mel Gibson won't be going to jail.

The actor, 55, appeared before a judge in an L.A. County Court on Friday and pled no contest for one misdemeanor count of spousal battery, related to a  Jan. 6, 2010 incident with his ex Oksana Grigorieva.

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Called a "West Plea," Gibson's no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt. Instead of jail, Gibson was sentenced to 36 months of informal probation, one year of counseling and 16 hours of community service.

Grigorieva -- who is now allowed peaceful contact with Gibson -- is pleased with Friday's outcome.

"We got pretty much what we wanted and more importantly we got what the victim wanted," Los Angeles Head Deputy District Attorney of the Airport Courthouse John Lynch told reporters. "She said on many occasions that she really didn't want to see him go to jail what she really wanted him to do was get into counseling."

Gibson's attorney reportedly made the deal with the district attorney's office earlier this week to avoid spending time behind bars. Officials had  originally considered charging him with felony domestic violence after the altercation, which left Grigorieva, 40, with two broken dental veneers. The district attorney reduced it down to single battery earlier on Friday.

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Ever since the Jan. 6 incident, Gibson and Grigorieva, 41, have been warring over custody of the 16-month old daughter Lucia.

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During the pair's custody case, Gibson admitted, "I slapped Oksana with an open hand in an attempt to bring her back to reality."

Tell Us What You Think

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  • March 12, 2011 - 11:34pm Justine Nicole Spraakman

    Put the idiot in jail he is an abuser to women.

  • March 12, 2011 - 12:18pm Filomena Araujo

    Why is it that every photo of Mel, he looks like he's up to no good? I mean, he always has this "Cat that ate the canary" expression on his face.

  • March 12, 2011 - 2:41am John Tiltan

    Mel is a despicable, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic pig and his career is OVER. Good riddance, Scumbag!

  • March 11, 2011 - 8:26pm Sandi Shearin

    well knock me over with a feather...regardless of who did what, true or false - I never thought for a second he'd do one second of jail time. For the most part, celebs are the exception...And this goes for ALOT of them, if not all.

  • March 11, 2011 - 7:26pm Macy Ess

    They both got off..Mel no jail..and Oksana wasn't even charged.

  • March 11, 2011 - 5:39pm Leslie Boyd

    Yes Jes he didn't break her teeth with the slap and the pictures were a joke IMHO. She is an insane money grubbing wh0re! I am sure they will be charging her soon as well. He only got charged with a misdemeanor which is ALL he deserved and that won't get him jail time (just as it wouldn't get any regular jail time on a FIRST offense of this type) which is a good thing BUT she deserves jail time for BLACKMAIL/EXTORTION, lying, false reporting etc...

  • March 11, 2011 - 5:21pm Jes Gibson

    Leslie Boyd: I AGREE!! Also, wasn't it proven that her veneers were already broken? The picture they kept showing didn't look like a person who had been beat at all! Okay, maybe he shouldn't have slapped her, agreed with that. But this woman needs to be charged as well. She trashed him repeatedly, sold all of this stuff to the media, blackmailed him... just awful.

  • March 11, 2011 - 4:12pm Leslie Boyd

    I am ready to see what they charge her with since she WAS blackmailing him. Lord knows that they have enough evidence against that trashy tramp especially with her former bodyguard talking.

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