Thursday, 3 July 2008

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Tatum O'Neal pleads guilty in drug case

Actress ordered to attend a drug programme

Tatum O'Neal became the youngest Oscar winner in history in 1974

Tatum O'Neal has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct stemming from her drug arrest last month.

The Oscar-winning actress, 44, was caught buying crack cocaine on a street near her New York home on 1 June.

But Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Elisa Koenderman says the charges will be dropped if she attends a drug treatment programme.

Tatum, the daughter of actor Ryan O'Neal and the ex-wife of John McEnroe, insists she’s glad she was caught out.

‘I made a giant, horrible mistake that I regret and feel really ashamed and embarrassed about,’ she said after the arrest.

‘I take full responsibility.'

The star has battled drug addiction since the age of 14 but successfully completed a stint in rehab in 1996.

Alison Adey