Daniele Watts sentenced to community service for refusing to write proper apology letter

Actress Daniele Watts and her chef boyfriend have been sentenced to 15 days of community service for refusing to write a suitable apology note to the police officer they accused of racism when he caught them allegedly performing a lewd act in a parking lot.

Office workers who spotted the Django Unchained star and Brian Lucas making out in a car last year (14) called police and claimed her breasts were exposed as she sat on his lap - an accusation the couple has disputed.

When an officer arrived on the scene and approached the mixed-race pair, angry and upset Watts accused him of racism and initially refused to co-operate, walking away from the car. She was later detained and handcuffed by another officer.

Video footage of the encounter showed the arresting officer neither said nor did anything to provoke the actress.

Watts and Lucas later pleaded no contest to charges relating to their arrest after a count of committing a lewd act was dropped as part of a deal, and they were ordered to pen apology letters to the police officer and the office building staff who spotted them making out.

But when they presented the note to the judge earlier this summer (15), he was far from impressed - because it appeared defiant and accusatory.

In one extract of the letter to the arresting sergeant, Watts wrote, "Hopefully you can forgive the fact that my heightened emotions disturbed what might have otherwise been a carefree stop on your way to a nice cup of coffee."

The couple was ordered to rewrite the letter, and when that was presented to the court this week (beg24Aug15) the judge decided enough was enough and sentenced Watts and Lucas to community service, ruling their second attempt was "insincere and passive aggressive".

Watts recently told news show Access Hollywood Live she was still weighing up her options after lawmakers ordered her to rewrite the apology letters, saying, "My parents always taught me that if you really want to apologize to someone not just, like, say I'm sorry and not mean it and move on... you come from your heart and you tell them what you're feeling, so they can understand.

"I'm going to do what I feel in 15 days when I have to go back to court."

Watts and Lucas have also been put on probation for two years.