Mel Gibson’s ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva appeared for a closed court hearing yesterday involving custody issues with their young daughter.

Flanked by deputies, Ms Grigorieva did not speak to reporters when she arrived outside the courthouse. She was accompanied by one of her attorneys during breaks in the session.

Mr Gibson did not appear at the hearing, which was closed to the public by law.

A summary posted outside the courtroom indicated attorneys would argue a motion on whether to seize the passport of the nine-month-old girl.

Mr Gibson and Ms Grigorieva reached a confidential custody agreement months ago, but repeated hearings have been held since then concerning the ongoing case.

Attorneys on both sides have declined to comment.

The proceedings have been closely monitored by courthouse officials and deputies. A paparazzo and a reporter for the celebrity website RadarOnline.com were escorted from the building after shooting photos in the hallway yesterday, a violation of courthouse rules.

RadarOnline posted two images of Ms Grigorieva, including one showing her walking in a hallway with her attorney. The images were later removed from the website.

Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini said a judge will decide later whether to issue civil contempt citations to the reporter and photographer.

An e-mail message seeking comment sent to RadarOnline founder and Executive Vice President David Perel was not immediately returned.

The hearing came as sheriff’s detectives were winding down their investigation into allegations that Mr Gibson, 54, harmed Ms Grigorieva during an argument in January. The agency was also looking into claims by the actor-director that Ms Grigorieva attempted to extort him.

Detectives have attended one hearing in the case and were given copies of audio recordings filed with the court.

Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore has said the results of the investigation could be given to prosecutors by the end of the week.