Naomi Campbell pleads guilty in assault case

NEW YORK: British supermodel Naomi Campbell pleaded guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday to assaulting her housekeeper with a mobile phone and was sentenced to five days community service.   

Campbell pleaded guilty to third degree assault and was also fined $363.32 and ordered to attend anger management classes.   

Prosecutors said Campbell threw the phone at Ana Scolavino during a dispute over a pair of jeans. They said the phone hit the woman in the back of her head, opening a wound that required four staples to close.

Campbell, dressed in a gray double-breasted jacket and black skirt told the judge she was sorry that her maid, Ana Scolavino, had been injured in the incident.   

"I was surprised that Ana was hurt. I'm deeply sorry," she told the court, describing the episode as an accident.   

Campbell was also ordered to attend a two-day anger management course and pay more than $350 to cover Scolavino's medical expenses.   

Campbell, 36, was arrested by New York police in March last year after Scolavino alleged the supermodel had thrown the cell phone at her head and accused her of stealing a pair of jeans.   

Police said the wound required several stitches. Campbell pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing in June, when the judge granted both sides more time to reach a deal or, failing agreement, allow for the convening of a grand jury to determine the final charges.   

If the case had gone to trial, the supermodel faced a possible seven-year jail term on the original charge of second-degree assault.