娱乐英语新闻:Mel Gibson pleads no contest to misdemeanor battery

LOS ANGELES, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Oscar-winning actor/director Mel Gibson on Friday pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from last year's alleged strike against ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva at his Malibu home in California.

The 55-year-old star of a number of hit films including "Lethal Weapon" franchise, "Braveheart" and "Ransom" was ordered by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to receive a one-year counceling program and a separate mental health conseling, in addition to 16 hours of community service at his estranged wife's noNPRofit group.

Judge Stephanie Sautner also ordered the actor to pay 570 dollars in fines and court costs.

Gibson was reported to have roughed up Grigorieva, the mother of his daughter Lucia at his home Jan. 6. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department launched a domestic violence investigation six months later.

The pair has locked in a bitter child custody dispute over Lucia, who was born in October 2009. In April 2010, the couple was reported to have had split. Some two months later, Grigorieva filed a restraining order against Gibson to keep him away from her and their child.

During the hearing conducted on Friday afternoon, the judge also issued a three-year protective order against Gibson, preventing him from harassing Grigorieva.

Meanwhile, the District Attorney's Office has chosen not to file charges against Grigorieva, who was investigated for allegedly trying to extort money from the actor, as there is insufficient evidence to prove the crime, prosecutors said.