As the maverick counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer in the hit US series 24, Kiefer Sutherland is no stranger to a spot of reckless driving. But yesterday it proved his real life downfall as he was jailed for 48 days after pleading guilty to his second drink-driving offence in three years.

The actor reported immediately to Glendale city jail in Los Angeles after being ordered to serve his sentence in full before March 30. Though he could have waited until as late as February 12, he made the decision to surrender to custody immediately, his attorney, Blair Berk, said.

The sentence is likely to further delay the broadcast of the latest series of 24, filming of which has already been suspended due to the Hollywood writers' strike.

However Sutherland narrowly escaped a much longer jail sentence by pleading no contest in October to the driving under the influence charge. Had he not entered a plea, he could have faced up to a year and half in prison if convicted.

Sutherland, 40, was at least twice the legal limit of .08 when he was pulled over on September 25.

After entering his plea yesterday, the actor expressed his deep regret.

“I’m very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I’m deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers,” he said.

Under the terms of his plea, he also must serve five years of probation, pay a $510 (£251) fine, enroll in an 18-month alcohol-education class and attend weekly alcohol-therapy sessions for six months, Assistant City Attorney Dan Jeffries said.

He will serve his sentence at Glendale city jail, but under a county jail inmate programme because of problems with overcrowding, Mr Jeffries said. Early release will not be considered.

The jail, where Sutherland specifically requested he serve his sentence, is a minimum security facility with 48 cells, each of them measuring 3 metres by 2.5 metres. They come equipped with two beds, a toilet, washbasin and water fountain, but the actor will not be sharing his cell with anyone.

“Anyone here for a long period of time will get their own cell,” Officer John Balian said.

The actor is classified as an “inmate worker” and will be required to perform duties in the laundry room and help prepare food for inmates in the kitchen area.

“He’ll be working here for 48 days,” Mr Balian said.

Sutherland will also have access to an outdoor area and be allowed two visitors per day.

The 24 star was already on probation for a 2004 drunken-driving arrest when he was stopped by police as he left a Hollywood industry party at the fashionable Area nightclub. Authorities said he failed a field sobriety test after being pulled over for making an illegal U-turn.

Sutherland had also pleaded no contest to the misdemeanour DUI charge in 2004. He was sentenced in that case to five years’ probation, 50 hours of community service and ordered to attend an alcohol treatment program, obligations which were both fulfilled, authorities said.

But these were not the only occasions on which the 24 star has found himself on the wrong side of the law. A 1993 conviction for alcohol-related reckless driving earned him 211 hours of community service, while in 1989, he was arrested for DUI and carrying a loaded and concealed weapon. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving, and the other charges were dropped.

Sutherland, who shot to fame with his 1986 starring role in The Lost Boys, has won numerous awards for his work, including, last year, an Emmy for best actor for his role in 24.

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