New low for Spears - rushed to hospital after custody row

Published on Friday 4 January 2008 20:32

THE past year has seen Britney Spears suffer a shocking and very public decline, as the superstar has been involved in a series of eccentric and disturbing ep-isodes – each caught in the full glare of the world's media. Now, with 2008 only a few days old, she has added a new, intoxicated chapter to her troubled life.

The 26-year-old singer had to be taken from her Los Angeles home by ambulance after police were called to a row between her and ex-husband Kevin Federline over custody of their sons.

The police call-out to the gated community where she lives – at about 8pm on Thursday – was said to be in connection with defiance of court orders over her limited visiting rights.

Spears finally handed over the boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James, after three hours during which six police cars, two ambulances and a fire engine were in attendance.

She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, but a spokeswoman there refused to comment on her condition. Last night there were reports that she was under suicide watch.

Police officer Jason Lee said she turned over the children at 10:50pm. She was under the influence of an unknown substance, he added, but gave no details. No injuries were reported.

Spears and Federline, who were married in October 2004 and divorced in July last year, have been involved in a long and public custody battle over their children. Federline has temporary custody of the boys because Spears, who has limited visiting rights, has defied court orders.

Spears has appeared increasingly out of control in the past year. She has been photo-graphed without underwear and has appeared to be drunk and out of control. She shaved her head, beat a car with an umbrella and spent a month in rehab, and has had a handful of minor car accidents, including one in which she ran over a photographer's foot.

Earlier on Thursday, she appeared for a deposition in her custody dispute, but spent just 14 minutes in court. Her lawyers from the firm Trope & Trope asked a court on Wednesday for official permission to drop her as a client due to a "breakdown" in communication.

Spears first shocked her fans when she married a childhood friend, Jason Alexander, in January 2004 in Las Vegas. The marriage lasted only 55 hours and ended with an annulment.

In July that year, she became engaged to Federline, three months after they met. In October, she was ordered to relinquish custody of her sons because of what the court called her "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol".

She was allowed to see her sons only if a monitor was present; the visits could be cut short if the monitor decided her behaviour endangered the children. She was also ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week.

After taking her case to a higher court, she won modified visitation rules that allow the two boys to spend one night a week with her.