Richie to follow pal to jail

Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton's The Simple Life co-star, has been sentenced to four days in jail for driving under the influence of drugs.She follows Paris who also had a stint behind bars earlier this summer.The 25-year-old daughter of singer Lionel Richie pleaded guilty to the charge. The celebrity socialite was stopped by police in December after she was seen driving the wrong way on a Los Angeles freeway.It was her second charge of driving under the influence in four years and Richie could have been sentenced to a maximum one year in jail under Californian law.She was given a 96-hour jail sentence and told she must serve her time by September 28.She was also fined $2,048 (£1024), given three years probation and told she must attend a court-ordered rehab program for second-time offenders.Police said that when they questioned Richie at the time of her arrest she failed a sobriety test and admitted that she had smoked marijuana and taken the painkiller Vicodin.The alcohol reference was dropped as part of a plea deal with authorities.Paris spent three weeks behind bars last month for violating probation in a drink driving case.Her sentence made headlines worldwide and sparked fierce debate over whether celebrities are treated more harshly or more leniently than other people.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | July 28, 2007

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