Christian Bale, the Batman star, asked for privacy today in his first comments about the assault claims made against him by his mother and sister in London.

Police officers are investigating allegations that Bale lashed out at Jenny, 61, his mother, and sister Sharon, 40, in his suite at the Capital's Dorchester Hotel on Sunday night.

The 34-year-old actor was asked about the claims at a press conference in Barcelona today, which was held to promote the record-breaking movie, The Dark Knight.

He said he preferred to focus on the film. “It’s a deeply personal matter,” he said. “I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter.”

Bale has denied the allegations in a statement previously issued through his lawyers.

His film, which sees the late Heath Ledger as the superhero’s nemesis The Joker, opened in Spain at a glittering premiere last night. Thousands of fans lined the red carpet and Bale spent about half an hour signing autographs.

On Tuesday the Welsh-born actor was bailed until September after being held for more than four hours by police in London, pending further inquiries. He was arrested at Belgravia police station earlier that day after attending by appointment.

The incident came hours after he attended the first European screening of his blockbuster, which took place in Britain.

Accompanied by his wife, Sibi, the actor joined co-stars Sir Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart at the Odeon West End cinema in Leicester Square, central London.

It is understood officers approached Bale’s representatives and they arranged that he would speak to the actor about the claims after the high-profile premiere.

The two women are believed to have gone to a police station in Hampshire to make a formal allegation, which was then passed to the Metropolitan Police for further investigation.

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