*Naomi Campbell has been convicted of assault and sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence by an Italian court. The ruling is the resolution of a dispute between Campbell and an Italian paparazzo she hit with her purse back in 2009, injuring his eye.
In 2009, Campbell and her then-boyfriend, billionaire Vladimir Doronin, were walking off their boat in Lipari, a Sicilian island, when photographer Gaetano Di Giovanni allegedly followed them – irritating Campbell who swung her purse at him after he greeted the couple. The blow scratched his eye, causing him to seek medical attention.
Jet reports that Di Giovanni initially withdrew the charges after he reached an agreement with Campbell’s lawyers, but prosecutor Francesco Massara ordered the trial to proceed due to the severity of the charges. Campbell was convicted in her absence by a court in Sicily on Friday. Now, her legal team is preparing to appeal the court’s decision.
“We are appealing the ruling surrounding the 2009 incident,” attorney Guido Carlo Alleva said in a statement obtained by E! News. “Due to the ongoing legal process, we cannot discuss the matter further at this time.”
This is Campbell’s fourth conviction for assault. Yahoo reports that the supermodel previously pleaded guilty to assault in 2000 after throwing her cellphone at her personal assistant. Then in 2007, she pleaded guilty again to assault after throwing a crystal-studded BlackBerry at her housekeeper. One year later, in 2008, she pleaded guilty to assault again after she kicked and spat on two police officers in London Heathrow Airport following a dispute over lost luggage.
As a result of her six month suspended sentence, Campbell, who landed her first modelling assignment when she was 15, will mostly likely have to complete community service or anger management courses, rather than spend a day in jail. If she behaves for six months, the court will rule her sentence as completed.
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