Welcome to the latest Entertainment Rant opinion column which complains how celebrities use their fame and fortune to get the law bent in their favour. Join the debate by adding your comments.

DRUGS, drink-driving, rape and even murder – it seems no matter what morally apprehensible crime you commit, being a celebrity is a bit like having a 'get out of jail free' card.

Lindsay Lohan is the latest in a long line of famous felons to use her name and purse to have what initially seemed like a fair sentence reduced to what amounts to nothing more than a couple of uncomfortable nights in a grimy motel.

Just a week into her 90-day prison sentence for breaking probation for drink-driving and there's already rumours of an early release for the fallen star.

Sure, she will have to endure the 'agony' of a possibly luxurious rehab centre after she's 'freed' but if this was any other ordinary Jane Doe she'd be rotting in a miserable cell for the full amount of time the judge ordered her to serve.

But the Mean Girls actress is not alone in having the law seemingly bent or softened because of her celebrity status.

Paris Hilton barely chipped a nail closing her cell door before she was allowed to serve the rest of her sentence for drink-driving charges in her plush LA crib.

Closer to home, how many times has Pete Doherty been caught with Class A drugs and how many times has he dodged jail?

Celebrities are the new royalty in the Western world. We look up to them, admire them and even want to be them.

It's like a virus infecting the minds of the otherwise rational, right-thinking members of society. Have five or 10 minutes of fame and you will have the world at your feet.

Of course, it usually helps if your fame comes with a fat bank account to pay for the very best legal team to fight your corner. Not to mention PR agents to spin your sob story into a best-selling book or magazine spread.

Enough is enough. Rich or poor, famous or not, people should be treated with the same amount of respect and consideration no matter how fortunate or downtrodden they are.

I'm sorry Lilo, but no matter how, erm, ground-breaking your performance in Mean Girls was and no matter how much make-up your frankly plain face is caked in, you should stay in jail for the full whack.

If only they could add a few days more for subjecting the world to the criminally awful Herbie: Fully Loaded – awww, go on, it's only just!

This column in no way reflects the official position of News Shopper or its parent company.

Do you agree with the views expressed in this article? Do you think famous people buy themselves out of trouble? Why do you so many celebrities develop drink and drugs problems? Why are stars hero-worshipped so much despite their obvious flaws? Add your comments below.

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