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Charges against Matthew Newton dropped

Charges against Matthew Newton have been dismissed and will be dealt with under the NSW Mental Health Act.

Assault charges against actor Matthew Newton have been dismissed and will be dealt with under the NSW Mental Health Act.

Newton, was charged with punching a taxi driver following an incident at Crows Nest last December.

A Sydney magistrate noted he has conditions that include bipolar disorder and anxiety.

“I’m satisfied that he is a mentally ill person,” Graeme Henson said.

The ruling means Newton must now follow a treatment plan put together by his psychiatrist in New York.

Newton today appeared in the Downing Centre Local Court via videolink from the US, telling the court he has had 90 days of intensive treatment at the Betty Ford clinic.

“I felt like a different person off the medication,” he said.

“I feel like my eyes are open and I have a chance now.”

He admitted he had been on medication for a few years.

Appearing trim, coherent and co-operative, Newton said he was no longer taking any psychotropic medication and pledged to remain drug and alcohol free with the help of various support groups and his psychiatrist.

Newton was arrested twice in the US for other incidents earlier this year, at a restaurant and hotel in Miami. He has pleaded not guilty to four charges.

He said he did not know when he would return to Australia.

Source: ABC, The Age.