It's official: Mel Gibson won't be going to jail.
The actor, 55, appeared before a judge in an L.A. County Court on Friday and pled no contest for one misdemeanor count of spousal battery, related to a Jan. 6, 2010 incident with his ex Oksana Grigorieva.
Called a "West Plea," Gibson's no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt. Instead of jail, Gibson was sentenced to 36 months of informal probation, one year of counseling and 16 hours of community service.
Grigorieva — who is now allowed peaceful contact with Gibson — is pleased with Friday's outcome.
"We got pretty much what we wanted and more importantly we got what the victim wanted," Los Angeles Head Deputy District Attorney of the Airport Courthouse John Lynch told reporters. "She said on many occasions that she really didn't want to see him go to jail what she really wanted him to do was get into counseling."
Gibson's attorney reportedly made the deal with the district attorney's office earlier this week to avoid spending time behind bars. Officials had originally considered charging him with felony domestic violence after the altercation, which left Grigorieva, 40, with two broken dental veneers. The district attorney reduced it down to single battery earlier on Friday.
Ever since the Jan. 6 incident, Gibson and Grigorieva, 41, have been warring over custody of the 16-month old daughter Lucia.
During the pair's custody case, Gibson admitted, "I slapped Oksana with an open hand in an attempt to bring her back to reality."
