Ridicule Is Nothing To Be Scared Of (Part 5000)

The socialite Paris Hilton has been jailed for 45 days for driving offences.

Paris leaves court unable to decide what was more humilating, her wardrobe, the sentence or the outburst from her mother.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer ruled that the hotel heiress violated her probation for a previous traffic offence by knowingly driving without a valid licence. He rejected the defence that she did not realise she was banned from driving and ordered her to report to a county detention facility on June 5.

As she was sentenced the 26-year-old wept and her mother, Kathy, yelled at the prosecutor, "You're pathetic," as the packed courtroom cleared.

The decision capped a two-hour hearing in which prosecutors argued that Hilton was thumbing her nose at the court and seeking to be placed above the law, while defence lawyers said she was being singled out for harsh treatment because of her celebrity. Taking the witness stand, the star of the reality TV show "The Simple Life" testified that she was unaware her driving privileges had been completely suspended at the time police stopped her and impounded her car on Feb. 27.

Hilton said her publicist, Elliot Mintz, had told her she was permitted to drive for work-related reasons after the first 30 days of her license suspension late last November, and that she relied on what he had said.

But the judge said he did not believe Hilton, pointing to a notice she had received from a police officer, and had signed, during another traffic stop in January.

He said Hilton had "completely ignored" that notice, which she had carried in her glove box for weeks.

"In my opinion, there's not doubt that she knew that her licence had been suspended," the judge said.

In a final statement before she was sentenced, Hilton, denied that she had sought to flout the law. "I did what I was told. I would never drive just because I want to. I follow the law and I respect the law. From now on I want to pay complete attention to everything," she said. "I just want to say I'm sorry."

Her lawyer says she will appeal. So remember kids, a bottomless pit of money, endless fame and an adoring public count for nothing if you choose not to read those important letters.