MAD MEL TURNS PATRON SAINT FOR SHIA'S SOUL!

Takes him under wing for reputation rehab

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F ORMER showbiz black sheep Mel Gibson has taken Tinseltown's younger bad boy Shia LaBeouf under his wing to the point where the Aussie father of nine now dotes on him like a son as he tries to revive the actor's tarnished reputation,

The 69-year-old Braveheart hunk and Shia, 38, share a history of trashing their own public images, and sources say Mel wants to spare Shia the pain he went through by straightening him out and salvaging his soul!

Mel's stardom flamed out after his antisemitic blasts at Malibu cops in 2006, followed by vile outbursts about his estranged galpal Oksana Grigorieva, who gave birth to their daughter, Lucia, in 2009.