Naomi Campbell Convicted of Paparazzo Assault in Italy
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has been found guilty of assault in Italy following her 2009 attack on a photographer. A Sicilian Court has just handed down the guilty verdict of assault against English supermodel Naomi Campbell after a photographer she hit with her purse in 2009 pressed charges for an eye injury.
The 45-year-old Campbell got into an altercation with Italian paparazzo, Gaetano Di Giovanni, who was taking pictures of the supermodel with her then-boyfriend, Russian businessman and real estate developer, Vladislav Doronin, when Campbell took offense and started hitting Di Giovanni with her handbag.
The attack scratched the photographer's eye, which required a three-day recovery period.
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While Campbell's legal counsel and Di Giovanni had earlier reached an out-of-court agreement to settle the matter, Italian prosecutor Francesco Massara continued with the trial on the basis of interest to the public, resulting in the assault conviction that merited a six-month suspended prison sentence.
Campbell's lawyer, Guido Carlo Alleva released a statement to People Magazine saying he and his client would be appealing the ruling on the 2009 incident in Italy, and as it was an ongoing legal process, neither he nor Campbell are unable to shed further light on the matter.
Campbell, whose successful modeling career spans nearly 30 years and includes film and television appearances, an R&B pop album, as well as her own perfume house, has been convicted of assault on four previous occasions.
She has also been accused of committing acts of violence 11 times against employees, industry associates, and other individuals, including throwing a mobile phone at her assistant, and kicking two police officers at the London Heathrow Airport, earning her a life ban from British Airways.
The supermodel has also been involved in a blood diamond scandal after allegedly receiving several stones from former Liberian president Charles Taylor in 2010, an accusation she denied at the Leidschendam Special Court for Sierra Leone after she was subpoenaed to testify at a trial involving Taylor's war crimes.
