Hilton won't appeal jail sentence

Hollywood celebutante Paris Hilton announced she will not appeal her 45-day jail sentence, saying she is "learning and growing" from her incarceration.

The hotel heiress and star of The Simple Life has been the centre of controversy since, after being repeatedly stopped by police for driving violations, she was convicted and sentenced to 45 days thenreleased by the sheriff after only four days to serve the remainder under house arrest at her Hollywood Hills home.

On Friday, Hilton was led screaming from a Los Angles courthouse after Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ordered her back to jail.

"Today, I told my attorneys not to appeal the judge's decision," Hilton, 26, said in a statement released Saturday by her lawyer, Richard A. Hutton.

"While I greatly appreciate the sheriff's concern for my health and welfare, I intend to serve my time at L.A. County Jail."

Hilton is currently undergoing psychiatric and physical evaluations at a maximum-security detention centre to determine which facility is most appropriate for her.

"Being in jail is by far the hardest thing I have ever done," Hilton said.

"During the past several days, I have had a lot of time to think and I believe that I am learning and growing from this experience."

Hilton was released to house arrest due to an undisclosed medical condition. But Sauer contended the proper medical evidence was not supplied at the time of the hearing and any condition Hilton suffered from could be attended to within a detention facility.

Shethanked her fans for their support and said she was surprised by the amount of media attention surrounding her case.

"I must also say that I was shocked to see all of the attention devoted to the amount of time I would spend in jail for what I had done by the media, public and city officials," her statement concluded.

"I would hope going forward that the public and the media will focus on more important things like the men and women serving our country in Iraq and other places around the world."

Hilton was credited Saturday with seven days for her sentence because she had surrendered to authorities late Sunday night after attending the MTV Movie Awards.

With time off for good behaviour, she could be released in a little more than two weeks.

Hilton's legal woes began Sept. 7, 2006, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her swerving down a street in her Mercedes-Benz.

She pleaded no contest to reckless driving on May 4 and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.

Only months later, she was pulled over twice by officers who discovered her driving on a suspended license.

The second stop landed her in Sauer's courtroom, where he sentenced her to jail. At the time, Sauer ruled that she would not be allowed to serve her sentence through any alternative to jail, such as electronic monitoring.