Britney doesn't buckle up
2006-02-08 08:07
Los Angeles - Pop princess Britney Spears was assailed by US media on Tuesday for pictures which appeared to show her driving her car with her five-month-old baby in her lap without a seat belt.
But the singer blamed the paparazzi who took the pictures on Monday, saying she was trying to escape their harassment in what she called a "horrifying, frightful encounter".
One of the photographs, shot in the seaside town of Malibu north of Los Angeles by the agency X17, shows Spears, 24, at the wheel of a large SUV and her son Sean Preston, born last September, sitting on her lap instead of a baby seat in the car's rear, as required by law.
A 'terrifying' experience
Spears said she was "terrified" of the photographers and did not have time to put the child in his seat.
"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," she said.
"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."
X17, which specialises in celebrity pictures, insisted that the photographs 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," the agency said.
Tougher laws to protect privacy
Asked about the case, Los Angeles police said they would not be pursuing Spears.
"We didn't attend the incident and the baby wasn't hurt. I don't think the DA (district attorney) is going to open an investigation," said a department spokesperson.
Several Hollywood stars have complained in recent months of incidents with paparazzi, including Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon.
In reaction, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, himself formerly a top movie star, agreed to toughen laws regarding people who aggressively take photographs or recordings.
The new rules came into effect on January 1.
The car-crash death in August 1997 of Britain's Princess Diana as she was fleeing paparazzi in Paris highlighted the issue of aggressive photographers who take lucrative, intimate and embarrassing pictures of celebrities.