LONDON, Aug. 14, 2008

Christian Bale Escapes Assault Charges

Batman Actor Was Accused Of Threatening Mother And Sister At London Hotel

  • Actor Christian Bale Photo

    Actor Christian Bale  (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

  • Photo Essay Christian Bale

    A look at the actor and his roles ranging from an "American Psycho" to a "Dark Knight."

(CBS/ AP)  British prosecutors say Batman star Christian Bale will not face charges relating to an alleged assault on his mother and sister at the Dorchester Hotel on July 21.

The country's Crown Prosecution Service says there is insufficient evidence to afford a "realistic prospect of conviction" and has ordered the police not to take any further action.

British media had reported that Bale's mother and sister told police he assaulted them at the hotel a day before he attended the European premiere of his film "The Dark Knight."

Bale denies the allegation.

The Sun tabloid reported last month that police waited a day to question Bale to allow the actor time to attend the premiere of the film in London's Leicester Square. Bale was questioned for several hours at a police station before being released on bail.

Prosecutors said the decision not to pursue the case was based in part on the feelings of Bale's mother and sister.

Wales-born Bale first made a splash as the child star of Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" in 1987. His screen credits also include "American Psycho," "The Machinist" and "Batman Begins."

In "The Dark Knight," the 34-year-old Bale reprises the role of wealthy playboy Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego Batman, a brooding vigilante superhero still scarred by the murder of his parents.

Ever since its debut four weeks ago, "Batman - The Dark Knight" has ruled the box office roost.

It's already the third-highest grossing movie ever, behind "Star Wars" and "Titanic."

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Add a Comment See all 13 Comments
by sylvenger August 14, 2008 4:55 PM EDT
Batman - 1
Money Grubbing Harridans - 0
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by gop_forever August 14, 2008 5:01 PM EDT
As well he should. The women were probably making stuff up to extort money from him.
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by downtowner97 August 14, 2008 5:02 PM EDT
I wonder how much money they got?
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by hissteps4u August 14, 2008 6:10 PM EDT
Dark Night was an excellent Movie no doubt about that but It does not rise to the Level of Starwars as of Yet in My mind Yet I think it is better than Titanic. We shall have to wait and see what the FRANCHISE direction will be and how it all plays out. I do think it is the Best Batman Movie to date. All the others were Campy at best.

i hope they cultivate it well in the comming years I will continue to watch.
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by jetlizhan August 14, 2008 6:47 PM EDT
i saw ''the dark knight'' a couple of weeks ago and it was my 1st batman movie, mainly because these types of movies just don''t appeal to me. wow, i thought it was very entertaining and i loved it. heath ledger''s character was unbelievable. where in the world did he ''go'' to get so into the joker. he was amazing and i would have never thought he could be the joker. he definitely should win the oscar. such a shame he won''t be here to accept it.
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by godzfan August 14, 2008 7:02 PM EDT
The only reason this movie has ruled the box office roost is due to the death of Heath Ledger. Other than that it is just another Batman movie.
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by shippg August 14, 2008 7:32 PM EDT
Previous articles said that mom and sister were demanding money from him beforehand, saying it was their right to do so. Then the two insulted Christian''s wife. Then Christian rightfully got into a shouting match to defend his wife.

In Great Britain shouting matches qualify as assault.
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by susanhelit August 14, 2008 10:45 PM EDT
Quite an exaggeration to call this an "assault" case - it was a shouting match - there''s no allegation of any physical assault. Pretty ridiculous that this can be charged as "assault" over there.
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by justsane-2009 August 14, 2008 11:23 PM EDT
"escaped" assault charges? that implies that he somehow wriggled out of them. let''s try "unsubstantiated charges dropped." that would be much more accurate.
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by patriot12436 August 14, 2008 11:31 PM EDT
GodsFan
I disagree. I saw the movie and found it very entertaining. Guess i am longing for the good old days wihen the good guys wore white hats.
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by patriot12436 August 14, 2008 11:32 PM EDT
If the man was defending his wifes honor then i think his mother and sister should have been charged. They sound like a couple of gold digging females from this story.
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by incog-nito August 15, 2008 3:21 AM EDT
lazareth: You seem bitter.
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by whiskyrokkr August 15, 2008 4:10 AM EDT
I think what Lazereth is trying to say is if you have enough money you can get out of pretty serious trouble.
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