Mel Gibson won't be charged in clash with Sydney photographer, Mel Gibson won't be charged by Australian police in connection with a clash — she says he hit her, he says he didn't — with a Sydney photographer last month, according to his lawyer there.
Chris Murphy, Gibson's Sydney lawyer, said in an emailed statement that he has been been "advised by police that no action will be taken" against Gibson. Murphy said he was informed by email by Inspector Paul Grace of New South Wales Police.
“Police have completed a thorough investigation of allegations made by a Sydney photographer (Kristi Miller of the Daily Telegraph) and have concluded there is no evidence to substantiate any charge against my client Mel Gibson,” Murphy said.
"Mr Gibson was described by others as cool and calm throughout his conversation with Kristi Miller," Murphy said. "She is the only person who says he wasn't. The witnesses deny there was any contact or loud voice or obscene language from Mr Gibson."
The Associated Press quoted a police statement that the matter was investigated thoroughly.
"At this stage, based on the evidence gathered, no formal action will be taken," the police statement said.Gibson's Los Angeles publicist Alan Nierob said the police in Sydney had interviewed witnesses to the encounter and reviewed CCTV footage, and found no evidence to support Miller's claim.
She said she snapped pictures of Gibson and his new girlfriend, Rosalind Ross, 24, in a Sydney street as they were leaving a movie theater on Aug. 23. She said he became angry, shoved her hard and screamed abuse. He only backed off when Ross intervened to calm him down, she said."I thought he was going to punch me in the face," Miller told her newspaper. "He was spitting in my face as he was yelling at me, calling me a dog, saying I'm not even a human being and I will go to hell. He swore and called me (the c word). It was non-stop, he didn't even breathe."Nierob said then it was all false, and repeated the accusation. He said Miller had "harassed" Gibson and Ross.
"Mel Gibson has totally denied from the onset that these disgraceful allegations were true," Nierob said. "He is now satisfied that the police, after speaking to witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence, have found there is no substance to the claim. The story is a complete fabrication of the truth as stated previously."
But it's not over yet: Gibson has hired a leading Aussie defamation attorney in Sydney, Mark O'Brien, in preparation for suing Miller and the Daily Telegraph, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp empire.
Meanwhile, Miller is considering her legal options, too, says Telegraph editor Paul Whittaker, who issued a statement backing Miller.
"The Daily Telegraph stands 100 per cent behind Kristi and her account of the events of that night," he said.Gibson, 59, who was raised in Australia, is Down Under now to shoot his sixth directorial effort, Hacksaw Ridge, based on a true story about an American conscientious objector during World War II.
Gibson's reputation for bad-tempered ranting precedes him around the world, but he's still newsworthy, especially if he has a new, younger girlfriend. Word about Ross, an American champion equestrian vaulter (an actual sport involving gymnastics on top of a horse) and would-be film writer, had been buzzing in the celebrity media since July, so paparazzi were on alert.
Ross appears to be Gibson's first serious romance since he broke up in 2010 with Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his eighth child, Lucia, in an explosive mix of verbal abuse and allegations of physical abuse.
Chris Murphy, Gibson's Sydney lawyer, said in an emailed statement that he has been been "advised by police that no action will be taken" against Gibson. Murphy said he was informed by email by Inspector Paul Grace of New South Wales Police.
“Police have completed a thorough investigation of allegations made by a Sydney photographer (Kristi Miller of the Daily Telegraph) and have concluded there is no evidence to substantiate any charge against my client Mel Gibson,” Murphy said.
"Mr Gibson was described by others as cool and calm throughout his conversation with Kristi Miller," Murphy said. "She is the only person who says he wasn't. The witnesses deny there was any contact or loud voice or obscene language from Mr Gibson."
The Associated Press quoted a police statement that the matter was investigated thoroughly.
"At this stage, based on the evidence gathered, no formal action will be taken," the police statement said.Gibson's Los Angeles publicist Alan Nierob said the police in Sydney had interviewed witnesses to the encounter and reviewed CCTV footage, and found no evidence to support Miller's claim.
She said she snapped pictures of Gibson and his new girlfriend, Rosalind Ross, 24, in a Sydney street as they were leaving a movie theater on Aug. 23. She said he became angry, shoved her hard and screamed abuse. He only backed off when Ross intervened to calm him down, she said."I thought he was going to punch me in the face," Miller told her newspaper. "He was spitting in my face as he was yelling at me, calling me a dog, saying I'm not even a human being and I will go to hell. He swore and called me (the c word). It was non-stop, he didn't even breathe."Nierob said then it was all false, and repeated the accusation. He said Miller had "harassed" Gibson and Ross.
"Mel Gibson has totally denied from the onset that these disgraceful allegations were true," Nierob said. "He is now satisfied that the police, after speaking to witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence, have found there is no substance to the claim. The story is a complete fabrication of the truth as stated previously."
But it's not over yet: Gibson has hired a leading Aussie defamation attorney in Sydney, Mark O'Brien, in preparation for suing Miller and the Daily Telegraph, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp empire.
Meanwhile, Miller is considering her legal options, too, says Telegraph editor Paul Whittaker, who issued a statement backing Miller.
"The Daily Telegraph stands 100 per cent behind Kristi and her account of the events of that night," he said.Gibson, 59, who was raised in Australia, is Down Under now to shoot his sixth directorial effort, Hacksaw Ridge, based on a true story about an American conscientious objector during World War II.
Gibson's reputation for bad-tempered ranting precedes him around the world, but he's still newsworthy, especially if he has a new, younger girlfriend. Word about Ross, an American champion equestrian vaulter (an actual sport involving gymnastics on top of a horse) and would-be film writer, had been buzzing in the celebrity media since July, so paparazzi were on alert.
Ross appears to be Gibson's first serious romance since he broke up in 2010 with Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his eighth child, Lucia, in an explosive mix of verbal abuse and allegations of physical abuse.
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