Supermodel Naomi Campbell arrested in London
LONDON, Friday (AFP)
British supermodel Naomi Campbell - currently facing assault charges
in the United States - was released on police bail early Thursday over
claims she attacked her drugs counsellor in London.
The 36-year-old catwalk star was arrested at an address in the
Westminster area of central London at 1:20 pm (1220 GMT) on Wednesday
and taken for questioning.
She was released on bail shortly after 1:00 am Thursday and told to
report to police on an undisclosed date later this month, London's
Metropolitan Police said without naming Campbell.
Supermodel Naomi Campbell displays clothes by designers Gharani
Strok during London Fashion Week, 14 February 2005. Campbell —
currently facing assault charges in the United States — was
released on police bail early October 26, over claims she attacked
her drugs counsellor in London. The 36-year-old catwalk star was
arrested at an address in the Westminster area of central London
at 1:20 pm (1220 GMT) on Wednesday and taken for questioning. She
was released on bail shortly after 1:00 am Thursday and told to
report to police on an undisclosed date later this month, London’s
Metropolitan Police said without naming Campbell. AFP
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Campbell's spokesman said late Wednesday that he believed there had
been a "misunderstanding", adding: "We are sure it will all be sorted
out when the police investigate."
The claims appeared in a front-page story of The Sun tabloid, which
said the unnamed "shaken therapist" walked into a police station and
said Campbell had scratched her all over her face, prompting a raid on
the star's home.
Campbell is one of the world's most recognisable faces having worked
with several major designers, including Ralph Lauren, Versace and Dolce
and Gabbana.
Discovered at the age of 15, the London-born model rose to become the
first black model to appear on the covers of Time magazine and the
French and British editions of Vogue.
She has also made forays into the world of music, film and
literature, but to significantly less acclaim.
But in recent years, her career has been overshadowed by a string of
assault claims and a drug problem for which she has sought counselling
at Narcotics Anonymous.
She was charged with second degree assault in New York earlier this
year over claims that she threw a mobile telephone at her housekeeper.
Campbell has pleaded not guilty but if the case goes to trial, she
faces a possible seven-year jail term if convicted. Another of
Campbell's former employees has filed a separate lawsuit, accusing the
model of personal injury, employment discrimination and assault,
prompting claims from her lawyer that she was a victim for opportunists.
In 2000, she pleaded guilty in a Canadian court to assaulting another
assistant by grabbing her by the throat and hitting her on the head,
again with a telephone.
She was given an absolute discharge following a deal struck between
her lawyers and Canadian prosecutors.
In an effort to control her temper, Campbell at one point booked
herself into an anger-management clinic in Arizona - a move she later
explained during a television interview with US broadcaster Barbara
Walters.
"Anger is a manifestation of a deeper issue, ... and that, for me, is
based on insecurity, self-esteem and loneliness, " Campbell said. |