Gibson-probe detectives handed more evidence
US detectives investigating Mel Gibson in a possible domestic violence case received audio recordings from a court handling a child custody matter, authorities said.
Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said CDs were turned over during a closed session in a custody case involving Gibson and his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.
The Russian singer reported that the actor-director hurt her during an argument in January.
The hearing was attended by several sheriff’s investigators, including detectives who look into possible child abuse.
Mr Whitmore declined to say whether the investigation into Gibson expanded. “I’m not going to get into why they’re there,” he said of the detectives from the Special Victims Bureau.
He said investigators would try to authenticate the recordings, but declined to say how much audio was received from the Los Angeles court.
Gibson and Grigorieva, 40, are locked in a bitter custody dispute over their eight-month-old daughter.
Mr Whitmore said detectives still hope to speak to Gibson, who has not yet been interviewed.
He declined to discuss when the case would be turned over to prosecutors, who will decide whether Gibson should face criminal charges.
Meanwhile, Gibson’s estranged wife filed a court declaration stating she and her children never experienced any abuse by the Academy Award winner.
A source familiar with the case but not authorised to speak publicly said Robyn Gibson filed the statement in the custody hearing between her husband and Oksana Grigorieva.
Robyn Gibson filed to divorce her husband of 28 years in April 2009. The divorce is ongoing.
Neither Mel Gibson nor Ms Grigorieva appeared at a daylong hearing in the custody case held in Los Angeles.
