Crowe escapes prison

Film

13:30 21 November 2005

Russell Crowe escaped jail after pleading guilty to assaulting a hotel worker with a telephone.

The fiery star was released on a conditional discharge after telling a US court he accepted his actions had caused injury.

The judge told Crowe he had avoided a custodial sentence and warned him against being re-arrested in the next year.

During the incident, hotel employee Nestor Estrada was reportedly struck in the face after the Hollywood star threw a phone.

The incident - at New York's swanky Mercer hotel - left Estrada needing stitches for a facial wound.

The row broke out after Crowe claimed the phone in his suite didn't work when he tried to contact his wife, Danielle Spencer.

The actor, famed for his wild temper, reportedly ripped the handset from the socket before storming downstairs and attacking the hapless employee.

The charge could have seen Crowe imprisoned for seven years as well as losing his US visa.

Appearing on a US television chat show in August, the Oscar-winning actor said the incident was the result of "jet lag, loneliness and adrenalin".

(c) BANG Media International