Supermodel Naomi Campbell Sentenced in Phone Throwing Incident

Supermodel Naomi Campbell's next job will be working a mob and broom at New York City's sanitation department instead of a fashion show runway. Campbell, 36, was sentenced today in her misdemeanor assault case.

In January, the model pleaded guilty to hitting her maid in the head with her crystal-encrusted cell phone, a toss that resulted in the maid needing stitches. As punishment, Campbell was fined $363 and will have to undergo two days of anger-management counseling. In addition, she is to perform five days of community service.

According to the New York Post, Campbell will be performing her community service in the Lower East Side warehouse of the New York City sanitation department. "She'll be mopping floors," the Post reported. "This is not a desk job.

And as far as high fashion, the word on the street is she will be doing it the old fashioned way. An official for the sanitation department told the Post that Campbell would be "wearing a safety vest, and gloves and boots, because you could step on nails and glass."

The misdemeanor assault case started almost a year ago, when Campbell reportedly assaulted her housekeeper, Ana Scolavino, during an argument over a missing pair of jeans. In January, Campbell accepted responsibility, if not quite going so far as to take the blame. "I threw a cell phone in the apartment. The cell phone hit Ana. This was an accident because I did not intend to hit her."

Since then, the British model has made her apologies, and says she feels a "deep sense of shame" over the incident. According to a spokesperson for Campbell, the supermodel is "ready to report and complete her community service, no matter where or what she will be assigned."

This latest incident is just one of a long line of accusations against Campbell. At least three employees have accused the Brit of hitting or assaulting them. In one instance, in 2000, Campbell pleaded guilty to hitting her personal assistant with a telephone.

According to Campbell, much of her temper can be blamed on resentment she has felt since childhood, after her father abandoned her.

According to reports, Campbell's community service will be indoors in order to avoid the public and media attention Boy George received last year when he faced similar punishment. Campbell will begin serving her sentence on March 19.

Sources:

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/06/AR2007030600912.html
www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml