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No jail time: Mel Gibson with his ex girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Mel Gibson is expected to avoid jail after striking a plea deal in
\nrelation to charges stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident
\nwith former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.<\/span><\/p>\nThe 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.<\/span><\/p>\nMel 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.<\/span><\/p>\nGibson has not yet been formally charged with any wrongdoing in
\nrelation to his alleged January 6, 2010 row with Oksana Grigorieva.
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nFollowing the incident several photos surfaced that appeared to show
\nGrigorieva’s injured face.
<\/span><\/p>\nSeveral taped conversations reportedly
\nbetween Gibson and Grigorieva also leaked to the Press.
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to sources close to Gibson, the actor accepted a plea deal
\nto avoid a prolonged court fight that would be a strain on his family,
\nparticularly his children.
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nMel’s lawyer, Blair Berk, said: ‘I know from almost 20 years as a
\ncriminal defence lawyer that sometimes justice can come for a client at
\ntoo high a personal price.<\/span><\/p>\n‘That is particularly so for Mel, whose right to due process can only be
\nexercised in this case with an enormous media circus attached.’
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n‘Mel’s priority throughout all of this has been that the best
\ninterests of his young daughter Lucia and the rest of his children be
\nput first in any decisions made.
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n‘It is with only that in mind that he asked me to approach the
\nDistrict Attorney with a proposal that would bring all of this to an
\nimmediate end.’
<\/span><\/p>\nThe District Attorney’s Office is said to be furious that Gibson’s lawyer made details of the plea deal public in the statement.
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\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n
![\"Domestic](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/2a6ed63b43_634x447.jpg.jpg\")
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Domestic violence claim: Oksana seen here in a picture released last year showing her chipped tooth following an alleged assault by Gibson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
According to RadarOnline, Oksana was due to be told today about the state of the case.<\/span><\/p>\nA source close to the case told the website: ‘For Oksana to have to find out through the media what was going to
\nhappen is absolutely unprofessional and makes no sense at all.’<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n‘He asked me to approach the
\nDistrict Attorney with a proposal that would bring all of this to an
\nimmediate end’<\/span>
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/div>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nProsecutors have not yet announced a decision on whether to charge Grigorieva with extortion, which Gibson has been seeking.<\/span><\/p>\nLawyers for Gibson have claimed that the musician used the leaked tapes of them rowing as ‘leverage’ when
\nnegotiating a deal last year, including a child care settlement.<\/span><\/p>\nIt came after the former couple struck a deal during a child custody mediation hearing in May.
<\/span><\/p>\n\n![\"Caught](\"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/3b25bbcb911_634x714.jpg.jpg\")
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Caught in the middle: Oksana with her and Mel’s child Lucia, pictured here back in January. The child is now 17 months old<\/p>\n
Miss Grigorieva signed the deal that awarded her $15 million in child support, a house and other assets.<\/span><\/p>\nAccording
\nto reports, the cash settlement came with a promise that all ‘evidence’
\n– namely the voice recordings of Gibson’s foul-mouthed rants – relating
\nto the case remained confidential.<\/span><\/p>\nThe 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.<\/span><\/p>\n
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