Christian Bale’s mother and sister accused him of assault, got him arrested and almost cursed premiere of ‘The Dark Knight’

Buried in the memories of time and exceptionay good PR, many don’t know that Christian Bale was arrested on July 22, 2008, just 16 hours after attending the European premiere of ‘The Dark Knight’ in London. His mother, Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, had accused him of assault at the luxury Dorchester Hotel on Sunday night. The timing could not have been worse for the Hollywood star, as the incident threatened to overshadow one of the biggest movie releases of the year.

The alleged altercation happened before the premiere and only Bale’s assurance that he would go to the police station after attending it delayed his arrest.

The actor voluntarily attended Belgravia police station at noon on Tuesday and was questioned by detectives for four hours before being released on police bail. The allegations came at a critical time when The Dark Knight was breaking box office records and receiving widespread praise from critics and audiences.

His mother, Jenny, 61, and sister, Sharon, claimed he lashed out at them in his suite at The Dorchester hotel, in Park Lane. The family dispute had occurred just one day before the highly anticipated European premiere of The Dark Knight, creating a public relations nightmare for Warner Bros. and potentially threatening the film’s promotional tour across Europe.

Police investigation and official response from both sides

A police spokesman said: “A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment. He was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault. He has since been bailed to return on a date in September.” The Welsh-born actor left the police station in a silver Mercedes people carrier, avoiding the reporters and photographers waiting outside.

A statement from Bale’s solicitors, the London-based firm Schillings, said: “Christian Bale attended a London police station, on a voluntary basis, in order to assist with an allegation that had been made against him to the police by his mother and sister. Mr Bale, who denies the allegation, cooperated throughout, gave his account in full of the events in question, and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police. At this time, there will be no further comment by Mr Bale.”

His sister Sharon, 40, shouted: “It’s a family matter” through a window when approached by reporters at her home in Corfe Mullen, near Wimborne, Dorset. Meanwhile, a man who answered the door at his mother’s home in Bournemouth said she did not want to comment. Bale denied the allegations and later called the incident “a deeply personal matter”.

The Crown Prosecution Service declared they would take no further action against him because of “insufficient evidence to afford a realistic prospect of conviction”. The incident reportedly strained relations within the Bale family, prompting the 50-year-old actor to refrain from talking to his mother for a decade. The family feud finally ended in 2019, when Bale was in London for the EE BAFTAs, where he received a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of Dick Cheney in Vice.