fazaal24
05-06-2007, 09:36 AM
Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton has been jailed for 45 days after being found guilty of violating her probation for a drink-driving conviction.
A Los Angeles judge ruled she must start her sentence on 5 June and has no prospect of an early release.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2944/7581pd3b92xm1.jpg
Ms Hilton told the judge she was very sorry and that she would "pay complete attention to everything" from now on.
The socialite said she did not know her license had been suspended when caught driving without headlights in February.
According to papers filed in Los Angeles' Superior Court, Ms Hilton was stopped by California Highway Patrol officers on 15 January and informed she was driving on a suspended license. She then reportedly signed a document acknowledging she was not allowed to drive.
On 27 February, she was stopped by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for speeding on Sunset Boulevard with her car's headlights off and charged with violating her probation.
Although Ms Hilton maintained she was not aware her license had been suspended, court papers said the document she signed in January was found in her car's glove compartment.
She was also accused of failing to enrol in an alcohol education programme by a court-ordered deadline.
Late entrance
Ms Hilton was sentenced to three years probation, fined $1,150 (£582), and lost her license at the end of January after pleading no contest to a drink driving charge in September.
Despite prosecutors saying the heiress deserved a jail sentence prior to Friday's hearing, Ms Hilton arrived at the court at least 10 minutes late.
Her mother, Kathy, laughed when the demand for a custodial sentence was made during the prosecution's closing argument and asked Judge Michael Sauer for his autograph.
"I'm very sorry and from now on I'm going to pay complete attention to everything," Ms Hilton told the court before she was sentenced.
"I'm sorry and I did not do it on purpose at all."
Reacting to the ruling, one of her lawyers said the jail sentence was unfair.
"To sentence Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail to me was uncalled for, inappropriate and bordered on the ludicrous," Howard Weitzman said.
"I think she was singled out because she's who she is."
If Ms Hilton does not report to jail on 5 June she will face 90 days behind bars.
The BBC's David Willis says Ms Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, first gained notoriety for her constant partying as a teenager.
She is now to trade the Hilton for the Los Angeles county jail - a temporary end to her life in the fast lane, our correspondent says.
BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6624223.stm)
A Los Angeles judge ruled she must start her sentence on 5 June and has no prospect of an early release.
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/2944/7581pd3b92xm1.jpg
Ms Hilton told the judge she was very sorry and that she would "pay complete attention to everything" from now on.
The socialite said she did not know her license had been suspended when caught driving without headlights in February.
According to papers filed in Los Angeles' Superior Court, Ms Hilton was stopped by California Highway Patrol officers on 15 January and informed she was driving on a suspended license. She then reportedly signed a document acknowledging she was not allowed to drive.
On 27 February, she was stopped by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for speeding on Sunset Boulevard with her car's headlights off and charged with violating her probation.
Although Ms Hilton maintained she was not aware her license had been suspended, court papers said the document she signed in January was found in her car's glove compartment.
She was also accused of failing to enrol in an alcohol education programme by a court-ordered deadline.
Late entrance
Ms Hilton was sentenced to three years probation, fined $1,150 (£582), and lost her license at the end of January after pleading no contest to a drink driving charge in September.
Despite prosecutors saying the heiress deserved a jail sentence prior to Friday's hearing, Ms Hilton arrived at the court at least 10 minutes late.
Her mother, Kathy, laughed when the demand for a custodial sentence was made during the prosecution's closing argument and asked Judge Michael Sauer for his autograph.
"I'm very sorry and from now on I'm going to pay complete attention to everything," Ms Hilton told the court before she was sentenced.
"I'm sorry and I did not do it on purpose at all."
Reacting to the ruling, one of her lawyers said the jail sentence was unfair.
"To sentence Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail to me was uncalled for, inappropriate and bordered on the ludicrous," Howard Weitzman said.
"I think she was singled out because she's who she is."
If Ms Hilton does not report to jail on 5 June she will face 90 days behind bars.
The BBC's David Willis says Ms Hilton, heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, first gained notoriety for her constant partying as a teenager.
She is now to trade the Hilton for the Los Angeles county jail - a temporary end to her life in the fast lane, our correspondent says.
BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6624223.stm)