Lindsay Lohan in court. Photo credit: the fixer http://www.flickr.com/photos/fixersphotos/6307733041/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Troubled 25-year-old starlet Lindsay Lohan (known as LiLo to her friends; well, maybe not to her friends, but at least to the media) has been sentenced to prison again – 30 days, to be precise, of which she will probably only serve six. What for this time? Well, she’s broken the terms of her probation order, which was itself an order for breaking the terms of another probation order. However, her jail term has been delayed – so that Playboy photographers can finish photographing her.
Confused? Yes? Good! We have prepared a handy timeline to help guide you through La Lohan’s brushes with the law and descent from cute tween to full-time trainwreck.
December 2006. The actress, after difficulties on set and living a hectic party lifestyle, enters rehab.
May 2007. LiLo doesn’t lie low after rehab – instead, she’s picked up by the cops for driving her Mercedes under the influence; there are also suspicions that there was cocaine in her car, but she was released because of her injuries. She enters rehab, again.
July 2007. Uh oh – looks like she didn’t learn her lesson – LiLo was picked up by cops again, in Santa Monica, California, for – you’ve guessed it, driving under the influence, and, er, possession of cocaine. This time a car-chase was involved. She enters rehab again. Do we sense a theme here?
August 2007. Lohan gets charged with seven misdemeanours, escaping more serious felony charges. She was given a three-year probation period, which included attending alcohol awareness classes, and had to serve one day in jail, as well as 10 days of community service. She also had to pay fines. Justice is done! Or is it?
November 2007. In what may possibly be the shortest jail term ever, Lohan serves 84 minutes in prison. Authorities claim it’s because of prison overcrowding.
October 2009. All quiet on the LiLo front for a couple of years… until she’s called up in court to explain why she didn’t attend the aforementioned alcohol education classes. She’s given another year’s probation and is warned that she will have to spend time in jail if she doesn’t inform the court that she won’t be able to attend classes in future. Did ya listen, Lindsay? Did ya?
May 2010. Lohan doesn’t show up at another hearing – because she was at the Cannes Film Festival. Guess what? She’s ordered to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet, and to attend another education program.
July 2010. Oh dear. A judge finally decides to send Lohan down, for 90 days, because of her non-attendance at the previous hearing in May. Tough justice – until she’s released after 14 days.
September 2010. Oh double dear. Lindsays’s probation is violated again; she goes to jail for another few minutes, and is released, again, and enters rehab, again. They tried to make her go to rehab, and she said, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. And maybe another yes.
February 2011. Things get worse. Lindsay Lohan is found guilty of stealing a $2,000 necklace, is sentenced to 120 days, and given – you guessed it – a probation order; she also has to attend shoplifting programs (programs that help you not to shoplift, rather than ones that help you to shoplift).
May 2011. As part of a plea bargain, the actress is placed under house arrest instead of going to prison.
November 2011. She’s sent to prison. Again. See above. Let us hope that Lindsay will now learn her lesson once and for all. If she doesn’t turn up on 9 November, she could face 270 days in prison – although, knowing LiLo, she’ll probably only serve a few hours of that. She also has to return to court in December, and attend monthly court appointments to check up on her.