Mel Gibson faces DUI charges
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Actor-director Mel Gibson has been formally charged with drink-related offences after an incident in which he made anti-Semitic comments during his arrest. The Oscar-winning director is accused of driving under the influence, having a raised blood-alcohol level and having an open alcohol bottle in the car. He could face up to six months in jail if convicted. “Please know from my heart I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith,” he said. The Associated Press news agency reports that Mr Gibson told the arresting officer: “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,” and asked him: “Are you a Jew?” He was arrested last Friday after being seen driving at 87mph (139km/h) in a 45mph (72km/h) stretch of Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway, the local sheriff’s department says. Authorities say his blood-alcohol level was found to be 0.12%. The legal limit in California is 0.08%. Gibson, 50, won a best director Oscar for his 1995 film Braveheart, in which he also starred. His 2004 biblical epic, The Passion Of The Christ, was recently named the most controversial movie to date by US magazine Entertainment Weekly. |