Naomi Campbell fails to show in court
Thursday, 28 Sep 2006 07:45
Fiery Campbell has previously faced allegations about the treatment of her staff
Supermodel Naomi Campbell tested the patience of a New York judge yesterday after she failed to show up in court over allegations that she assaulted her housekeeper.
Campbell, 36, was arrested in March amid allegations that she threw a mobile phone at her employee's head in a rage.
Ana Scolavino needed four stitches to close a wound at the back of her head following the alleged incident, which the housekeeper claimed occurred after Campbell accused her of stealing a pair of jeans she wanted to wear for an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Campbell, who claims she is innocent of the charges against her, is accused of second-degree assault and could face up to seven years in jail if convicted.
But yesterday the British model failed to appear at Manhattan's criminal court, leading Judge James Gibbons to stress that she could be arrested if she failed to turn up at a new hearing on November 15th.
Adjourning the case, the judge said: "She is absolutely obligated to appear at the next court date or the law will go into effect. A bench warrant will be issued."
Campbell's lawyer David Breitbart refused to elaborate on the reason for his client's absence. However, according to the Reuters news agency, he told the court: "The press is all over this girl. There are over 100 cameramen outside this courthouse."
Campbell has previously been accused of assaulting her staff.
The model attended anger management classes after pleading guilty to assaulting another former assistant with a telephone during a Canadian court case in 2000.