'Buffy' star Nicholas Brendon charged with domestic violence for 'drunkenly attacking his girlfriend'

Nicholas Brendon has been charged with domestic violence after being arrested for drunkenly attacking his girlfriend in 2017.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star has only just been formally charged after the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office filed court documents, according to TMZ.

Brendon, who played Xander Harris on the TV show from 1997-2003, is reportedly facing one count of felony corporal injury to a spouse which could see him face a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.

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TMZ says that the District Attorney also filed a notice detailing their plans to use evidence of alleged acts of domestic violence carried out by the actor in order to support the prosecution case.

Brendon has a long history of alcohol-related arrests. In 2010, LAPD officers tasered the actor after responding to a call regarding his alleged drunken behaviour.

In 2014 the actor was arrested in Idaho for allegedly trashing his hotel room and a year later he was arrested for doing the same but in a hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, instead.

Later in 2015, Brendon was charged for allegedly attacking a woman while in a hotel room in upstate New York. He was charged with two counts of misdemeanour criminal mischief and one count of obstruction of breathing according to People, as well as one count of felony robbery in the third degree.

The actor, who was last seen on screen in the MTV show Faking It, in 2016, has spoken publicly about his issues with alcoholism and depression during an appearance on Dr. Phil.

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Brendon walked out during the taping of the show in 2015 and explained his decision to split in a Facebook post.

“When I was in that seat, I felt that Dr. Phil [McGraw] went for the jugular, talking about some of my recent mistakes, with no build up,” the 44-year-old said. “I felt that he wanted me to lay the darkest parts of myself on national TV right from the start, and I’m not willing to do that.”

The show responded, in a statement to Page Six: “Unfortunately, he chose to disengage before a dialogue with Dr. Phil ever began. There was no drama; he simply chose to leave and did so in a respectful manner. His family and associates remained and participated fully and productively.”