After the bizarre DUI incident last July 2006 where Mel Gibson was arrested for over speeding and driving under the influence, the Oscar winning filmmaker has made good progress with his probation. Weeks after the bust, Gibson had pleaded no contest to charges of driving under the influence and the judge had decided to let the actor be under probation for three years. He also paid $1400 for fines and was ordered to attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous for more than four months.
Now, after 18 months, Judge Lawrence Mira of Malibu Superior Court was pleased of the good behavior of Gibson. But he also clarified that the remaining eighteen months of Gibson’s probation will continue. During the 20-minute hearing, the judge wished the Braveheart star luck as he expects Gibson to continue with his positive progress. Prior to the hearing, Mira had rejected media requests to bring cameras inside the court after Gibson lawyer Blair Berk had informed the judge that his client has been a victim of stalking.
Gibson left the courthouse through the back door and just waved to cameras waiting outside. It can be remembered that aside from the driving incident, Gibson had made derogatory remarks against Jews. The remarks had resulted to public outrage, and the people were asking for an apology from the famed filmmaker to which Gibson had issued several public apologies. In one of his interviews, he told Diane Sawyer, ABC News anchor, that he considered his arrest as a blessing as he believed that the humiliation he got had helped him to be sober.