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Downey drug charge dismissed
21/07/2002 16:42 - (SA)
California - A judge on Friday dismissed drug charges against actor Robert Downey Jnr and ended his probation, leaving the actor free to resume a movie career derailed by a lengthy battle with addiction.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randall White heard Downey had successfully completed a one-year drug rehabilitation programme imposed by the court after the award-winning actor pleaded no contest to cocaine possession and being under the influence of drugs.
White expressed satisfaction with Downey's probation reports, and rejected a call by prosecutor Kevin Shek that the actor should have his probation extended and attend a drug addiction after care facility because "returning to the lion's den can be dangerous".
Downey (37) was arrested twice for cocaine possession within months of his August 2000 release from a year-long prison stay on a prior drugs conviction.
The fallout from those incidents cut short a budding comeback for the actor, who won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for his role in the TV series Ally McBeal.
But a smiling Downey, wearing a blue pin-striped suit, on Friday told reporters that both he and Hollywood had changed.
"[Hollywood] is not like that anymore. It's a lot more strait-laced and they're not interested in people who are not going to show up and be healthy," he said.
Downey's lawyer James Epstein said Downey remained on parole after his prison term and was still subject to regular drug tests under the terms of his parole. "He is still in the 12 steps programme and doing a lot of voluntary work," Epstein said.
Downey, who has been allowed to work with permission and under supervision, has just completed filming The Singing Detective - his first big screen role since Wonder Boys which was released in early 2000.
But Epstein said the judge's decision would make it much easier for Downey to find work. "It means he is much more insurable for making movies .... He is ecstatic," Epstein said.
- Reuters
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South Africa
