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Hilton camp devastated
09/06/2007 07:49 - (SA)
Los Angeles - The circus that follows Paris Hilton almost everywhere staked out the court building, with hangers-on toting signs and dancing jigs, before being reduced to stunned silence when the "celebutante" was returned to jail.
"Oh no," "Melrose" Larry Green muttered softly, shaking his head at the news on Friday that a judge had ordered Hilton sent back to prison for violating her probation on a reckless driving conviction.
"People are just jealous of her because her name is Hilton, and she's part of the Hilton hotels," the local eccentric and supporter of offbeat causes had said a couple hours earlier after dancing a jig in her support.
"I love the Hilton hotels, especially the one in New York," said Green, an occasional guest on Howard Stern's radio show.
Justice was served
The ruling by Superior Court Judge Michael T Sauer also had its supporters.
"I think justice was served," civil rights activist Najee Ali said. "It helps restore the public confidence that was eroding nationally with the star-struck judicial system."
At the same time, Ali expressed sympathy for the star of TV's The Simple Life.
"This is not a time to celebrate. It is a time to pray for her and her family," he said.
Screaming Paris sent back to jail
Earlier, news helicopters buzzed Hilton's Hollywood Hills home and paparazzi swarmed a sheriff's patrol car as the sobbing, handcuffed heiress was placed inside and driven to the court.
Inside the courtroom, Hilton's hair was askew and she wore no makeup. She cried throughout the hearing.
Outside, Hilton defenders were outnumbered by TV crews and other journalists who swarmed the courthouse just a day after the Sheriff's Department released her for an undisclosed medical reason.
At times it was hard to separate supporters from wannabe stars and promoters of films and TV shows.
Some people handed out T-shirts for the celebrity Web site TMZ.com, and a plane flew overhead towing a banner proclaiming, "We love Paris".
- AP
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South Africa
