Mel Gibson has taken a plea deal in his ongoing criminal case, TMZ reports. The site's sources say Mel will make a court appearance Friday and make a no contest battery plea, meaning he will
not spend time in jail for a reported incident of abuse on Jan. 6, 2010.
RadarOnline.com reports that Alexander "Sasha" Dalton, the son of Mel's allegedly abused baby mama Oksana Grigorieva, was set to testify as the star witness. Sasha, 13, is the child of Oksana and actor Timothy Dalton.
"One major reason why this case was being brought against Mel Gibson, more than a year after the alleged incident took place, is because Sasha was made available to testify at a potential criminal trial against Mel," a source close to the case tells Radar. "Sasha's involvement and cooperation in the case was absolutely essential, and because he is a minor, both of his parents had to agree to let him participate, and that took some time to make happen."
"Even though Mel believed he could win the case, he struck the deal to protect his loved ones," TMZ writes.
Gibson's lawyer, Blair Berk, released the following statement to TMZ:
"I know from almost 20 years as a criminal defense lawyer that sometimes justice can come for a client at too high a personal price. That is particularly so for Mel, whose right to due process can only be exercised in this case with an enormous media circus attached.
Mel's priority throughout all of this has been that the best interests of his young daughter Lucia and the rest of his children be put first in any decisions made. It is with only that in mind that he asked me to approach the District Attorney with a proposal that would bring all of this to an immediate end."
Though the criminal case appears close to an end, RadarOnline contends that Mel's image-rehab is far from over. "The way many people perceive Mel is forever changed," Radar's Managing Editor and Executive Vice President David Perel tells PopEater. "Mel's taped rants, with racist, violent and misogynistic language, will never be erased from the public consciousness. The aftereffects will linger for a long, long time."
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