82032159Maybe it wasn’t such great acting after all…Very sad news, as actor Christian Bale has been arrested in London for assaulting his mother and sister.

Batman star Christian Bale has been arrested by detectives investigating claims he assaulted two family members.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said a 34-year-old man had been arrested in connection with an allegation of assault, and remained in custody.

Mr Bale is alleged to have lashed out at his mother and sister in his suite at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Sunday.


The family was in London for the UK premiere of THE DARK KNIGHT. The assault took place on Sunday, the day before the premiere. According to the Sun the police waited to question Bale so that the premiere could go on.

UPDATE: As you might expect, TMZ has breaking news on this:

So why did cops put a hold on busting Batman? They didn’t think he’d flee.

Scotland Yard tells us after his mom and sis dropped a dime on Bale yesterday, the cops didn’t jump because they felt Christian was not a flight risk. Also, they thought the crime was not super serious.

So, we’re told, they waited until after “The Dark Knight” premiere to have him pay a visit to the station.

36 COMMENTS

  8. Aw, maaaaan. I just… I don’t… I would very much PREFER it if people up to whom I look, acting-wise, would just not allegedly attack people. Especially their families. I wait for the facts at this time, but I am not really looking forward to them.

    And Tucker’s right: if he’s been arrested, not charged, at this time, one should speak of the *alleged* assault.

  11. Yeah, this is the kind of thing I really dislike. It’s reported with barely any facts, or context, and then everyone freaks out. We have no idea what his relationship is like with his mother and sister, nor what the actual “assault” part means. It’s vague and dodgy at best.

  12. Peter: No, Kevin Conroy. I can hear him right now pulling an animated Christian Bale into a dark corner and telling him what for.

  13. I agree that there is not a lot of solid info in the news coverage about this, and that we can’t assume Bale did anything wrong. By the same token, however, a lot of comments on other sites assume that the sister and mother are liars who are only out for Bale’s Batman money. That’s wrong to assume as well.

  16. The gossip sites are now reporting that he was arrested for allegedly *verbally* assaulting his mom and sis. England is a kooky place. They let you walk around the streets of London openly drinking a can of beer, but they won’t let you yell at your sister.

  17. Thanks, Val. It’s important that people not assume anything based on limited info.

    Reports now are confirming that, at worst, this might have been verbal assault, and that Bale has cooperated fully and given his account of the events. Other reports have stated that there is some kind of family tension involved which none of us are privy to. Though I’m sure we’ll end up knowing way more about it than we should because of all this.

    I don’t like to assume anything about anyone in these kinds of dodgy reports because we simply don’t anything about the relationships, the circumstances, or even what “assault” was referring to. Verbal assault isn’t exactly fun but it’s a far cry from what I’ve seen people accusing him of with no information at all.

  18. Thanks, Val. It’s important that people not assume anything based on limited info.

    Reports now are confirming that, at worst, this might have been verbal assault, and that Bale has cooperated fully and given his account of the events. Other reports have stated that there is some kind of family tension involved which none of us are privy to. Though I’m sure we’ll end up knowing way more about it than we should because of all this.

    I don’t like to assume anything about anyone in these kinds of dodgy reports because we simply don’t know anything about the relationships, the circumstances, or even what “assault” was actually referring to. Verbal assault isn’t exactly fun but it’s a far cry from what I’ve seen people accusing him of with no information at all.

  20. To arrest someone you have to charge them, but obviously someone can be charged with a crime without having actually committed a crime. Typically it’s best to avoid use of the word “alleged,” though many reporters still do. If you stick to the facts of the case, all you need to say is that Bale was charged with assault.

    Not sure if British police operate differently, but any arrest is required to have accompanying arrest reports, which are required to give specifics on the incident (i.e. his family’s statement). There’s so little info available yet that this is not really even worth commenting on.

    As Mr. Palmiotti said, let’s just hold on a second before convicting the guy ourselves.

  23. Van: Actually, he wasn’t charged. Also, in Britain, you are arrested before questioning based on the reporting of the incident. So you aren’t charged until after. That’s the impression I’ve gotten, anyway, from various reports.

    In this case, it’s been further reported that it’s alleged “verbal assault”. No physical charges. Although I have a feeling most people have already assumed what they’re going to and no actual facts will get in the way of that.

  29. Mariah: I’ve also not seen that he’s been charged, but I’m not sure about the British police’s policies. Typically arrested and charged are synonyms. If he hasn’t been charged, “detained” or “questioned” is more accurate. Most likely it’s just some stories coming from sources who don’t understand and/or care about such intricacies.

  31. Tom Spurgeon Says: I find him guilty of being in Swing Kids.

    Netflixed! Thanks for the reminder, Tom.

  32. What Rick Rottman said.

    Having spent two months in London, things are a little topsy turvy than what we yanks are used to.

    I remember seeing bobbies not even cocking an eyebrow when some drunken bugger walked past me in a park with a open container just carrying on being verbally abusive to anyone who walked past him.

    I almost got arrested in Hyde PArk – for get this…. SITTING on a lawn chair that supposedly reserved for people associated with royality. I was supposed to pay a fee and I didn’t have the change on me. The guy threatened to call the police on me.

    I ran for my life.

    As for Bale,

    It wasn’t him. They got the wrong man

    They didn’t think of questioning Matt Hagan – who’s probably jealous of Bale’s success.

    Goddamn Clayface strikes again.

    ~

    Coat

  34. “let me get this straight. you want to blackmail a man who you think runs around the city beating criminals to a pulp every night? good luck with that.”

  35. From: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20213900,00.html

    Christian Bale Free After Arrest for Alleged Assault

    “He was released from the Belgravia precinct station later in the afternoon with a 10-man police escort, in a blacked-out silver Mercedes people carrier. Bale is to return to police in September, pending further inquiry, a police spokesperson tells PEOPLE.”

    “It is a policy in England to arrest a suspect before questioning him in connection to a possible crime. Bale has not been formally charged.”

  36. This is all part of a viral campaign for the next Batman movie that sets up Christian Bale’s mom and sister up as the next villians.

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