Britney Spears is on the receiving end of a lot of media criticism in the US after pictures were published which appeared to show her driving a car with her five month old son on her lap without a seatbelt. Strictly, of course, the child shouldn't have been on her lap, seatbelt or no seatbelt, it should have been strapped into a car seat. But there you are.
Anyway, the pop princess has defended herself by saying it's all the paparazzi's fault for forcing her into that situation. In a statement she says: "I had a horrifying, frightful encounter with the paparazzi while I was with my baby. Because of a recent incident when I was trapped in my car without my baby by a throng of paparazzi, I was terrified that this time the physically aggressive paparazzi would put both me and my baby in danger. I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm's way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us, and took photos of us which were sold to the media. I love my child and would do anything to protect him."
The photographic agency that supplied the pictures, X17, insist that they were not taken in a dangerous situation: "These pictures were taken in a very peaceful context, in which photographers exhibited no aggressive behaviour. We believe that the pictures speak for themselves".
Meanwhile, Los Angeles police say that they have no plans to pursue the incident. A spokesman said: "We didn't attend the incident and the baby wasn't hurt. I don't think the DA is going to open an investigation."