Mel Gibson Completes Booking Charge Formalities

Mel Gibson made his simple battery charge official on Wednesday night (16Mar11) after completing the booking formalities at a Los Angeles police station.

The Braveheart star was formally charged with the misdemeanour in court last Friday (11Mar11) and was sentenced to three years probation and a year of counselling after pleading no contest to the count.

The charge stemmed from accusations filed against him by his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, who claimed Gibson attacked her during a heated argument in January 2010.
 
Judge Stephanie Sautner ordered the actor/director to turn himself in for booking within a week and he complied by stopping by the El Segundo Police Department on Wednesday, when he had a new mug shot and fingerprints taken.
 
Lieutenant Ray Garcia tells People.com, "Mr. Gibson was cooperative, he was photographed and fingerprinted at around 9.30pm and was gone in about half an hour."
 
The booking process explained Gibson's absence from a special screening of his new film, The Beaver, at the South By Southwest arts festival and conference in Austin, Texas.
 
During the event, director Jodie Foster defended the star and urged moviegoers to "appreciate" his onscreen performance instead of focusing on his personal troubles.
 
Gibson is currently battling Grigorieva for custody of their baby daughter, Lucia.