LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton has
parted company with her long-time manager who she blamed for the
events that led to her jail sentence for driving on a suspended
license, reports said.
The celebrity socialite was handed a 45-day stay in prison after a
dramatic Los Angeles court hearing on Friday where she was found to
have violated her parole for drink-driving by twice taking to the
wheel while banned.
Hilton, 26, testified that she had only been driving on the advice
of her manager Elliot Mintz, who she claimed had told her she was
allowed to drive and that police officers who had stopped her must
be mistaken.
In a statement reported by celebrity website TMZ.com, Mintz said he
accepted the blame for the misunderstanding which means the
Hilton hotel heiress will spend over six weeks in jail starting
from June 5.
Mintz said in the statement he had sent an email to Hilton
offering my sincerest apology for any misunderstanding she
received from me regarding the terms of her probation."
I am deeply and profoundly sorry. I told her that I assume
personal responsibility for my part in this matter, Mintz said,
adding that he was convinced Hilton had told the truth in court. I
believe when stated in court that she believed it was OK for her to
drive under certain circumstances she was being absolutely
truthful. Paris is a wonderful person and does not deserve the
punishment that was handed down by the court."
In her first comments since receiving the prison sentence, Hilton
told photographers camped outside her home in the Hollywood Hills
on Saturday that she had been treated unfairly.
I feel that I was treated unfairly and that the sentence is both
cruel and unwarranted. I dont deserve this, she said.
Hilton, the star of The Simple Life reality television show, must
report to the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood by
June 5 or risk being ordered to serve 90 days in jail.
Hiltons lawyer Howard Weitzman, said he will appeal the sentence
which he described as uncalled for, inappropriate and bordering on
the ludicrous."
