Charlie Sheen ordered to testify in person

Washington (ANI): Actor Charlie Sheen"s bid to testify through the phone at an upcoming hearing has failed, and he has been ordered to appear in court in person. His lawyer, Richard Cummins filed a motion earlier this week requesting permission for Sheen, 44, to avoid court in person when a restraining order, relating to his Christmas morning domestic dispute with wife Brooke Mueller, comes up for review, reports Contactmusic.

Sheen was banned from contacting his wife after the bust-up in Aspen, Colorado, which landed him in police custody, but he"s keen to have the protection order lifted. The actor, who does not want to show up in court and face Mueller, had hoped to be allowed to testify by phone from Los Angeles.

But, on January 7, a judge ruled that he must appear in person at the hearing in Aspen on January 11. The restraining order had been put in place amid allegations Sheen threatened Mueller with a knife during the heated argument, for which he is facing charges of second-degree assault, menacing and criminal mischief.