# Christian Bale arrested for assaulting his mother and sister! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404 "2008-07-22T18:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/21 "2008-07-23T06:45:53Z")
[QUOTE=blondebear] Bale is a pretty private guy–has anyone done a really in-depth interview with him? He has always impressed me as a thoughtful, considerate person. Since he’s human, he may have said or done something in the heat of the moment. I know I have. [/QUOTE] Family can bring it out of you. If it was only a verbal altercation, then I’ve been there, done that, got a closet full of t-shirts. Hitting would be something else, though. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/22 "2008-07-23T06:47:01Z")
[QUOTE=Freudian Slit] I don’t get it. 😕 [/QUOTE] Beyond the pale. It took me a while too. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/23 "2008-07-23T11:51:22Z")
I hear he shouted at a man in Reno just to watch him cry. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/24 "2008-07-23T13:48:15Z")
[QUOTE=lisacurl] Awesome! You can get arrested for harsh language in the UK? That may be the only country my mother would be safe in, then. 😛 [/QUOTE] I do remember hearing this as a law they’d sneaked in a while back, and would not be surprised if the nanny lunatics who are currently running the country had passed such a law. However, looking for a cite, all I could find was something dated the 1st of April 2006… Ah wait, this seems clearer… > **[Protestor held at gunpoint, handcuffed and arrested for swearing](https://netcu.wordpress.com/2006/09/19/protestor-held-at-gunpoint-handcuffed-and-arrested-for-swearing-2/)** > > Taken from Indymedia UK 18th September 06 outside downing street this evening barbara tucker was arrested by machine-gun carrying police, thrown against the railings, and rear-restraint handcuffed.… In recent times, the current government in the uk has always maintained that its vaguely worded new laws in the uk wouldn’t be abused, and only used for special cases… However, they also claimed that the snooping powers most authorities have now would only be used for investigating Terrorism, but its been shown recently that they’ve been used to monitor peoples use of their bins… I get the feeling they read the book 1984, and didn’t quite get the point of it, and thought it was a good idea… ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/25 "2008-07-23T13:55:43Z")
[QUOTE=Love Rhombus] Arrested but [not convicted.](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2008/07/dark-knight-chr.html). [/QUOTE] Yeah, I heard he made Bale. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/26 "2008-07-23T14:18:56Z")
At least he wasn’t out Robin liquor stores. ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/27 "2008-07-23T15:57:56Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] You can go to jail for slinging verbal abuse at your family? Damn. My family (me included) would have been on death row 30 years ago. [/QUOTE] Seriously! Who here _hasn’t_ had that kind of family get-together? I’m just glad nobody in my family is notable enough to warrant media attention. US Weekly would always have something to report: “Grandma Gets Drunk, Throws Glass of Booze at Christmas Dinner.” “Cbawlmer and Sister Come to Blows Over Nintendo Controller, Later Have Slapfight in Front Pew During Mass.” It doesn’t sound like he’s being charged with anything, so hopefully the press will just let it drop and maybe the Bales can all learn to peacefully avoid each other. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/28 "2008-07-23T16:03:45Z")
I just read [this article](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,389295,00.html) that gives a little more info. > [@](#): > > Meanwhile, sources directly connected to the Bale case told [TMZ.com](http://TMZ.com) that Bale pushed or brushed his mom out of the way during the alleged altercation, but she was not hurt and did not fall down. > > There are also reports circulating that Bale was arrested for verbal assault. In England, there are two classes of verbal assault, Class 4 and Class 5. Class 4 is more aggravated than 5, with “an intent to cause alarm.” > > “Christian was stressed, but he didn’t lay a finger on anyone. Instead, he flew off the handle and cussed his mother,” a source said. "He just got very loud because his mother was saying some very outrageous things about him, and his wife. > > “Christian’s attitude is that this was his mother’s fault because she became very provocative in an argument they were having,” the source said, adding: "Things got out of control and he now says he wishes he just left the room. Haven’t most people had arguments like that? Where they yelled and later wished they’d left earlier, and they brushed by/slightly shoved the other person. I think it’s wierd that England has “verbal assault” as a chargeable offense. Ongoing “verbal abuse” I could see as grounds for a restraining order/divorce/whatever, but a single incident of a loud argument? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/29 "2008-07-23T16:16:00Z")
“Intent to cause alarm?” Could a person get arrested for saying that George Lucas was working on a Jar Jar Binks triology? In all seriouness, that sounds like the kind of set to that everyone has had with their parents and siblings. I’m starting to wonder if maybe the mom called the police just to be a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/30 "2008-07-23T16:27:19Z")
[QUOTE=Waenara] I think it’s wierd that England has “verbal assault” as a chargeable offense. Ongoing “verbal abuse” I could see as grounds for a restraining order/divorce/whatever, but a single incident of a loud argument? [/QUOTE] Here I’ve known people who’ve had death threats and had their homes broken into by people (usually estranged spouses or exes) who weren’t even able to get a restraining order. I can’t imagine the looks you’d get for calling the cops to arrest someone for yelling at you. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/31 "2008-07-23T16:58:09Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] “Intent to cause alarm?” Could a person get arrested for saying that George Lucas was working on a Jar Jar Binks triology?.. [/QUOTE] Aiyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! :: grabs gun and heads for Skywalker Ranch :: ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/32 "2008-07-23T17:04:53Z")
So…Mama picks a fight by saying ugly things about her daughter-in-law, they get into a shouting match, and somehow the police get involved, but Mama says she didn’t call the cops. So how did the police get involved? Maybe the hotel staff? I want to know why his mother and sister were at his hotel. Were they staying with him, or did they just show up unannounced and uninvited? I wonder who TMZ’s “sources” are. Bet Bale’s PR people are just thrilled having the word “assault” associated with their guy, especially if it was nothing more than a stupid family argument. Perfect timing, too. I’m know I’m being stupidly nosy and way overthinking this, but I’m interested in how incidents get reported and how they affect someone’s perception of an appealing celebrity. Is your first reaction “No – can’t be true!” or “Oh, too bad. I always liked him”? ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/33 "2008-07-23T17:23:06Z")
I know enough about entertainment “journalism” to know that it’s never wise to believe what you first hear, especially story with scandal potential. Those stories are written to increase ratings/circulation/web hits, not to tell a true story. When I hear stories like this, which was pretty detail-free when it broke yesterday, I generally wait until more facts can be established before forming a real opinion. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/34 "2008-07-23T17:29:19Z")
> [@](#): > > In England, there are two classes of verbal assault, Class 4 and Class 5. Class 4 is more aggravated than 5, with “an intent to cause alarm.” Finally, I understand why I have to turn the TV up so loud to understand anything from the BBC. The actors must be terrified of being arrested if they raise their voices. Seriously though, I feel bad for the whole family, having what should have been a stupid, private thing blown up into this monstrosity. When I first heard about this on the radio, they made it sound like Bale was some sort of evil woman beater, which seemed very strange. Considering his history in activism and that his step-mother was **Gloria** frickin’ **Steinem** , it just…didn’t compute. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/35 "2008-07-23T17:33:32Z")
I’d like to see a cite better than Fox News for that thing about “Class 4” and “Class 5”. I’ve never heard of it, although admittedly IANAL. But in general, assault means more than just shouting at somebody. The victim must “apprehend immediate use of unlawful violence.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/36 "2008-07-23T17:35:23Z")
I wonder if the Police kept him there for a couple of extra hours to sign Batman merchandise. I’ve heard of that kind of thing happening before. Even cops can get starstruck. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/37 "2008-07-23T17:47:25Z")
Wonder whether he used his Welsh or American accent when he assaulted them. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/38 "2008-07-23T17:52:24Z")
The best cite in reference to a “class 5 assault” that I can find through a search engine that is _not_ related to Christian Bale is a single comment on [Yahoo! Answers](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061219001041AA79Dty). In the workplace, the HSE refers to threatening words as verbal assault, but that clearly doesn’t apply here. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/39 "2008-07-23T17:56:44Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] “Intent to cause alarm?” Could a person get arrested for saying that George Lucas was working on a Jar Jar Binks triology? [/QUOTE] I think they could nab you on that one for inciting a riot. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404/40 "2008-07-23T19:06:18Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I wonder if the Police kept him there for a couple of extra hours to sign Batman merchandise. I’ve heard of that kind of thing happening before. Even cops can get starstruck. [/QUOTE] Worst case I ever heard of was the doctor who had George Harrison sign things (a guitar, photos, autographs, etc.) when he was terminally ill and so weak the doctor had to hold his wrist while he signed. There was some speculation (not sure how substantiated) that the doctor planned to _sell_ the merchandise as “last things Harrison ever signed”. Whatever the case, the Harrison family [did not take kindly to it](http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,627432,00.html). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-bale-arrested-for-assaulting-his-mother-and-sister/457404.md?page=3)