Actor and director Mel Gibson has pleaded "no contest" to a misdemeanour battery charge in Malibu, California, and has been put on probation for 6 months.
The troubled Gibson, who has been troubled by alcohol issues for many years, admitted "wilfully and negligently abandoning a Cadillac Convertible on the interstate, causing the battery to run down and thus leaving the vehicle in a state of unroadworthiness".
As well as being put on probation, the star of Mad Max and Braveheart is also to attend a year of car maintenance classes, followed by a further 6 months community service to be served in a vehicle repair workshop.
