Actor Mark Wahlberg is hoping to have a 1988 assault charge expunged from his record, insisting he is “not the same person” that he was at that time.
At the age of 16, Wahlberg was charged with assaulting a man outside a convenience store in his hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts, reports contactmusic.com.
As per reports, the 43-year-old was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at that time and hit the man over the head with a wooden stick before punching the victim as he attempted to escape from police.
Wahlberg, who served three months in jail for the same, filed a petition with the Massachusetts advisory board of pardons Nov 26 in hopes of getting a pardon.
In the petition, he states that he has dedicated a lot of his adult life to giving back to several charitable organisations, including his own, the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.
He writes, "I have not engaged in philanthropic efforts in order to make people forget about my past. To the contrary, I want people to remember my past so that I can serve as an example of how lives can be turned around and how people can be redeemed."
“Receiving a pardon would be a formal recognition that I am not the same person that I was on the night of April 8, 1988. It would be formal recognition that someone like me can receive official public redemption if he devotes himself to personal improvement and a life of good works.”
According to media report, Wahlberg's petition is still under consideration.