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Gibson faces police probe

Detectives investigating Mel Gibson on a possible domestic violence case have received audio recordings from a court handling a child custody matter, authorities say.

LOS ANGELES — Detectives investigating Mel Gibson on a possible domestic violence case have received audio recordings from a court handling a child custody matter, authorities say.

Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said CDs were turned over during a closed session in a custody case involving Gibson and his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva.

The Russian singer has reported that the actor-director hurt her during an argument in January.

Thursday’s hearing was attended by several sheriff’s investigators, including detectives who look into possible child abuse.

Whitmore declined to say whether the investigation into Gibson had expanded. “I’m not going to get into why they’re there,” he said of the detectives from the Special Victims Bureau.

He said investigators would try to authenticate the recordings, but declined to say how much audio was received from the court.

Gibson and Grigorieva, 40, are locked in a bitter custody dispute over their 8-month-old daughter. Neither one appeared in court for a daylong session on Thursday. The hearing was attended by numerous attorneys, including Gibson’s criminal lawyers, Blair Berk and Jim Asperger.

Attorneys for both sides declined comment after the hearing ended around 4:30 p.m.

Gibson, 54, did get some support from his estranged wife, Robyn, who filed a brief declaration stating that the actor-director had never physically abused her or her children. Mel and Robyn Gibson have seven children together, only one of whom is younger than 18 years old.

Like all documents in the custody dispute, Robyn Gibson’s declaration is sealed.

Robyn Gibson filed for divorce in April 2009. The case is ongoing.