Socialite Paris Hilton was rightly jailed for violating probation, according to TV star Judge Judy Sheindlin.

The heiress is serving 45 days after she was caught driving with a license that had been suspended after her arrest for driving under the influence in 2006.

Los Angeles authorities have been accused of treating Hilton harshly - but the star of Judge Judy, herself a former family court judge, insists her sentence was fair.

She told TV chat show host Larry King: “When a judge says to somebody, ‘I’m going to give you an opportunity to remain free - you committed a crime.’ In this case, she was driving while intoxicated and endangered a lot of people. ‘But I’m going to give you a chance to stay out of jail, even though I could put you in jail for what you did, but you have to abide by these rules.’ And she breaks the rules. Paris Hilton is a criminal - a little criminal, but a criminal.”