NEWS'The Mentalist' Star Simon Baker Pleads Guilty to Drunk Driving in Australia, Judge Says Actor Was 'Extremely Remorseful'
Simon Baker avoided a conviction by pleading guilty to driving under the influence.
Simon Baker has owned up to his mistakes almost two months after he was pulled over for drunk driving in Australia.
Per multiple reports, The Mentalist star pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol on Wednesday, September 11, after arriving for his scheduled court date at Mullumbimby Local Court in New South Wales.
'The Mentalist' star was pulled over in July for driving 'in an alleged erratic manner' in Australia.
His hearing, which avoided him a conviction, occurred after police pulled Baker over on Booyung Road at Nashua on July 20 at around 2:10 a.m. after he had been operating his gray Tesla "in an alleged erratic manner," according to a statement obtained by a news publication.
"Officers spoke to the driver and sole occupant, a 55-year-old man, before subjecting him to a roadside breath test, which returned a positive result," cops cited of the incident. "Due to an extensive system outage across the country, the man was subjected to a sobriety test that was conducted at the scene."
Simon Baker was 'extremely remorseful' for his mistake, said Magistrate Kathy Crittenden.
"He was subsequently issued a field court attendance notice for attempt drive while under influence of alcohol and drive under the influence and is due to appear at Mullumbimby Local Court on 4 September 2024," the statement concluded.
Magistrate Kathy Crittenden, the civil officer administering the law in the case of Baker, described The Devil Wears Prada actor, 55, as "very polite and co-operative," according to 9 News, declaring him "extremely remorseful for his actions."
Magistrate Kathy Crittenden declared it 'unlikely' for Simon Baker to repeat the same offense.
"The court has little difficulty in finding that Mr Baker is remorseful for his offending and it is unlikely he will offend again," she added.
Baker was released on a nine-month good behavior bond with no conviction recorded, as Australian judges have authority to not record a conviction in exceptional circumstances for first-time offenders.
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Baker hasn't been on social media since pleading guilty to driving under the influence.
The last time he posted was on August 8 to wish his daughter, Stella, 31, whom he shares with his ex Rebecca Rigg, a happy birthday.
Simon Baker shares three kids with his ex Rebecca Rigg.
The Guardian actor also shares two sons, Harry, 22, and Claude, 25, with his former spouse, 56 — whom he tied the knot with in 1998.
Baker and Rigg were married for 29 years before announcing their decision to end their marriage in 2021, noting the duo had been separated since April 2020.
"We remain close friends and our three children will always be the most important focus of our lives," they said in a joint statement at the time.
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People obtained a statement from New South Wales Police.
