Naomi Campbell

Supermodel Naomi Campbell faces seven years in jail after being charged with assault in a New York Court, but she insists she is being "extorted".

Campbell denied hurling a mobile phone at her assistant on Thursday, insisting the charges were "falsely" brought against her as revenge for sacking the employee earlier on Thursday.

She says: "I am fine. The police have been really nice. It won't be the first time I have been extorted."

The incident occurred at 8am on Thursday, when the 41-year-old aide was allegedly fired and then struck on the head with an object after Campbell accused her of stealing a pair of jeans. The alleged victim received four stitches to the back of her head.

Campbell was arrested at her home and taken to the Midtown North Precinct in New York City, according to entertainment website TMZ.com

The judge at Manhattan Criminal Court put up bail of $3,500 and demanded Campbell appear in court again in June on the single charge of felony assault. She has also been banned from contacting her alleged victim.

It's not the first time the catwalk queen has been accused of throwing phones at her assistants. In 2000, the model pleaded guilty to hitting former assistant Georgina Galanis with a telephone and was ordered to take anger-management classes.

Another former personal assistant, Simone Craig, claimed Campbell threw a mobile phone at her in 2001. The British beauty denied the claim and no charges were filed.