When actors get arrested

Rip Torn was arrested two years ago for driving into a tractor while drunk. The incident might now have been forgotten had a US councillor not decided to borrow the photo to illustrate the success of his own campaign to catch sex offenders. Despite blacking out Torn's eyes ("so no one would recognise him"), the councillor was forced to withdraw his ad this week Photograph: Public domain

Robert Downey Jr was arrested several times between June 1996 and April 2001 on various offences, including possessing cocaine and drink-driving. He doesn't look particularly chastened by his brush with the law in this shot Photograph: Public domain

Shia La Beouf looks remarkably cheery after he was arrested for refusing to leave a grocery store in November last year Photograph: Public domain

Mel Gibson was arrested on drink-driving charges in July 2006. In the soon-to-be notorious encounter that followed, Gibson reportedly informed his arresting officer that Jews were "responsible for all the wars in the world" and referred to a female police woman as "sugar tits" Photograph: Public domain

Mickey Rourke was arrested last November for driving his Vespa drunk after leaving a Miami nightclub. Despite the embarrassment of being caught on something other than a Harley, Rourke can still manage a smile Photograph: Public domain

Vince Vaughn isn't looking so money in this shot from April 2001. The Swingers actor was reportedly arrested for his part in a brawl outside a bar in North Carolina Photograph: Public domain

Lindsay Lohan was arrested in Santa Monica, California for drunk driving and cocaine possession in July last year. The actor was stopped after police spotted her SUV chasing a vehicle at high speed. The other car, intriguingly, was being driven by the mother of her former PA Photograph: Public domain

Kiefer Sutherland was sentenced to 48 days in jail in December last year following a second drink-driving arrest in three years. He was therefore left unable to help CTU save LA from any potential terrorist attack Photograph: Public domain

And finally ... Nick Nolte is not looking his best after being pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence in September 2002. You may by now have detected a theme amongst the charges Photograph: Public domain