HBO boss resigns following arrest

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The chief executive of HBO, Chris Albrecht, has been forced to resign by Time Warner following his arrest on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend.

Mr Albrecht was arrested on Sunday in Las Vegas when police reported seeing him assaulting a woman outside the MGM Grand after watching a boxing match.

On Tuesday he said that he was taking a leave of absence to deal with a recurring problem with alcohol.

Mr Albrecht said he was stepping down "at the request of Time Warner".

Earlier settlement

"I had been a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 13 years," he added in a statement.

"Two years ago I decided that I could handle drinking again. Clearly I was wrong."

The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that HBO had paid a settlement of at least $400,000 (£200,870) in 1991 to a subordinate and former lover of Mr Albrecht who alleged that he had shoved and choked her.

HBO is a pay-TV network owned by the US media giant Time Warner.

Mr Albrecht had been head of programming at HBO since 1995 and took over as chief executive in 2002.

During his tenure, HBO was responsible for hits such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Six Feet Under.