Paris Hilton, her long blond hair tied back in a ponytail and oversized sunglasses shading her eyes, pulled up to L.A. traffic court near downtown Friday more than 15 minutes late for her probation violation hearing.
It was perhaps a moment when being prompt would have proved more fashionable.
Two hours later, Hilton departed with a 45-day jail sentence and a verbal comeuppance from the judge, who told her the time had come to take responsibility for her own actions. She has until June 5 to report to Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood to serve her time or risk a total of 90 days behind bars.
On the stand, the socialite blamed her handlers for her being caught behind the wheel twice while her driver's license was suspended for a drunk-driving conviction.
Asked whether she had understood the terms of the drunk-driving plea that she agreed to Jan. 22, Hilton, 26, said: "I just sign what people tell me to sign.... I'm a very busy person."
At one point, her attorney, Howard L. Weitzman -- calling his client someone with "unique issues and needs" who simply made a mistake -- tried to shoulder some of the fault Hilton was placing on others.
Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer saw it otherwise.
"She disregarded everything and continued to drive," Sauer said.
And he made it clear that he wanted no special treatment for Hilton -- an heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune and a successful entrepreneur in her own right -- ordering her to spend her sentence in a county jail and not a privately run "glamour slammer" where other celebrities have done their time.
Hilton, who made the sign of the cross in the moments before the judge gave his verdict, sobbed afterward.
"I don't know what happened," she said in the moments after Sauer pronounced the sentence. "I did what they said."
Until late last year, overcrowded jail facilities in the county had led Sheriff Lee Baca to release most inmates early, including immediately processing out anyone sentenced to less than 90 days in jail. That is no longer true, and Baca's spokesman, Steve Whitmore, said Friday that his understanding of the judge's order meant Hilton was likely to serve the full 45 days.
Speaking outside court, Weitzman expressed shock and disappointment at the judge's decision, which he said "bordered on ludicrous."
"It's clear she was selectively prosecuted because of who she is," Weitzman said. "Shame on the system and shame on the city attorney for bringing this case."
