Holy smoke, Batman

The allegation was made by the Welshborn actor's mother and sister before the European premiere of The Dark Knight in the West End last night.

Bale's mother Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40 - who lives in Dorset - went to a police station in Hampshire yesterday to lodge the allegation of assault and the matter was referred to the Metropolitan Police.

Bale, 34, attended a police station in central London by appointment this morning with his solicitor and was arrested by detectives before being questioned about the claim.

Police decided to hold off taking action until today in order not to spoil the firstnight celebrations for the latest Batman movie.

One police source said: "It would have been wrong to wreck the premiere over a complaint which we do not yet know is founded in truth."

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning where he was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault." Scotland Yard also confirmed it had received an allegation from another force relating to an incident in central London.

Bale spent a number of hours being questioned before being released. Bale's agent could not be contacted.

The alleged assault happened on Sunday - the same time as another drama that cast its shadow over the premiere. Peaches Geldof, one of the guests at the screening, was reportedly treated by paramedics after a suspected drugs overdose at her flat in Islington.

According to a report in The Sun, 19-year-old Peaches could not breathe for several minutes and a friend had to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as they waited for the emergency services.

However, she is said not to have needed hospital treatment and was well enough last night to appear in Leicester Square.

A spokesman for the London ambulance service said: "We were called on Sunday at 4.45pm to an address in N1 to reports of a female taken ill.

"We sent an ambulance bicycle responder and a fast response car but following assessment the patient did not require hospital treatment."

The Dark Knight, which has smashed box office records in the US, also stars Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Ledger, who died this year of a drugs overdose aged 28, has been tipped for an Oscar.