Mel Gibson lashes out

Law enforcement officials said they are looking into claims that Mel Gibson physically abused his former girlfriend.

Law enforcement officials said on Thursday they are looking into claims that Oscar-winning director and actor Mel Gibson physically abused his former girlfriend and the mother of one of his children.

The probe follows recent media reports of a Gibson tirade on the telephone with Oksana Grigorieva after she allegedly decided to go public about a January 6 beating she took from him.

The Malibu sheriff’s department said in a statement it is “currently gathering information regarding the (beating) allegations. “Due to the investigation being preliminary in nature, no other information is available at this time,” it added without identifying who made the initial complaint.

The alleged beating incident took place at the couple’s Malibu home. Gibson, 54, and the 40-year-old Russian singer had a baby girl, Lucia, in October; months after the star divorced his wife, Robyn, and mother of his first seven children. The two have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle in recent months over the custody of their infant daughter and have obtained restraining orders against each other.

The couple never married and announced their friendly separation in April, but according to the local media, Grigorieva decided to take Lucia’s custody battle to court in light of Gibson’s abusive behavior.

In the angry telephone call that was leaked to the media by entertainment website Radaronline.com, Gibson allegedly insulted Grigorieva and told her she “deserved” the beating she took because she was keeping their daughter away from him and ruining his career.

According to media reports, Grigorieva told police officers she recorded Gibson’s telephone calls after his violent outbursts made her fear for her life.

Australia-born Gibson returned to acting after an eight-year absence starring in January’s action thriller Edge of Darkness. Gibson’s re-emergence was the latest step on the road to rehabilitation which has followed his 2006 bust for drunken-driving and subsequent revelations of anti-Semitic remarks made to police during that arrest, when he was quoted as telling the official that “Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.” Gibson subsequently apologised publicly for what he called “despicable behaviour” and sought counselling. He was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to attend an alcohol recovery program.

With information from AFP and Reuters.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2010.