LA Detectives Receive Gibson Audio Recordings

Cops involved in possible child abuse cases also attend hearing, as Mel's ex-wife defends Oscar-winner

Detectives investigating Mel Gibson for a possible domestic violence case have received audio recordings from a court deciding the actor-director's child custody case, authorities said Thursday.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said CDs were turned over during a closed session in the custody case. The hearing was attended by several sheriff's investigators, including detectives who look in possible child abuse.

Whitmore declined to say whether the investigation into domestic violence allegations had expanded. "I'm not going to get into why they're there," he said.

Attorneys for Gibson and ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva did not speak to reporters after the hearing. The former couple are involved in a dispute over custody arrangements of their 8-month-old daughter.

The case is sealed and all proceedings have been done in closed session.

Gibson's criminal attorney, Blair Berk, also attended the hearing.

Whitmore said detectives will now work to authenticate the recordings released by the court. He did not say how many recordings were included or how long they were.

It is unclear whether the recordings include those that have been posted by the celebrity website RadarOnline.com. The site has posted more than 20 minutes of recordings of arguments between a man who sounds distinctly like Gibson and a woman identified by the site as Grigorieva.

In the profanity-laced clips, the man is heard using two racial slurs and several derogatory terms for women. The man also complains about financial issues.

Since the recordings hit the web, Gibson was dropped by his longtime talent agency and criticized by civil rights advocate Rev. Jesse Jackson and celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, among others.

Whitmore said detectives still hope to speak to Gibson, who has not yet been interviewed.

Detectives are looking into allegations that Gibson harmed Grigorieva during a January confrontation. He said he would not speculate on when the case would be turned over to prosecutors, who will decide whether Gibson should face criminal charges.

"It's not going to be rushed," Whitmore said.

Meanwhile, the Oscar-winner's ex-wife, Robyn Gibson, emerged alongside actress Whoopi Goldberg Thursday on the short list of Gibson defenders.

"Mel never engaged in any physical abuse of any kind toward me before, during or after our marriage," Robyn Gibson told the judge overseeing her ex-hubby and Grigorieva's custody battle, People reported. "Mel was a wonderful and loving father."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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