Naomi Campbell charged in `rage' incident
LONDON (AP) -May 29, 2008 The 38-year-old supermodel was charged when she reported to
Heathrow police station to answer bail over the April 3 fracas,
lawyer Simon Nicholls said.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Campbell faced five charges -
three counts of assaulting a constable, one count of disorderly
conduct and one count of using threatening, abusive words or
behavior to the crew of the airplane. Police said the assault
charges related to two officers.
Campbell was ordered to appear at a west London magistrates'
court June 20.
Witnesses said Campbell was aboard a British Airways plane due
to take off for Los Angeles when she became involved in a dispute
over her luggage. Tens of thousands of bags had been separated from
their owners at Heathrow's Terminal 5 after its chaotic opening in
late March.
Campbell was removed from the plane and held for eight hours at
the airport police station before being released on bail.
She arrived at the police station Thursday in a chauffeur-driven
Mercedes. She left without speaking, but her lawyer said the
supermodel was "bitterly disappointed" that she had been charged.
"Prosecutors in this case have decided she needs to be
prosecuted in the magistrates court. She respects that decision and
she hopes this matter is dealt with expeditiously," Nicholls said.
The assault charges carry a maximum sentence of six months in
prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000. The other charges are
punishable by a fine.
Campbell has a history of assaulting assistants and employees.
In 2000, she pleaded guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for
beating an assistant while making a film in Canada in 1998. Under
an agreement with prosecutors, Campbell expressed remorse and was
released without punishment or a criminal record.
In January 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault
in New York for throwing her cell phone at her maid in a dispute
over a missing pair of jeans. She was ordered to do community
service and attend a two-day anger-management program.