Mel faces drink-drive charge

Mel Gibson has been charged with drink-driving and could face up to six months in jail if convicted.

The star's arrest on Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway hit the headlines when it was reported he had unleashed an anti-Semitic tirade at the officer who pulled him over.

He faces charges of drunken driving, having an elevated blood-alcohol level and having an open container in his car.

The charges do not mention what Gibson, 50, himself described as his "belligerent behaviour".

The sheriff's report says Gibson told the arresting officer: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

The Braveheart star is undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse. His outburst has already hit his career after American TV network ABC announced that it had scrapped plans for Gibson to produce a mini-series on the Holocaust.

In a statement, Gibson pleaded with the Jewish community to forgive him for his outburst, saying he was not a bigot.

A prominent Los Angeles rabbi, David Baron, has invited Gibson to speak at his temple on Yom Kippur.

He said: "In our faith we are commanded to forgive when the offending party offers an apology from the heart."

The Sheriff's department has denied allegations of a cover-up, after its initial account described Gibson's arrest as "without incident" and did not mention his remarks.

Gibson will appear in Malibu Superior Court on 28 September.