Spears Loses Right to Visit Children

Jan 05, 07:33 AM

By Sandy Cohen

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

A court commissioner gave sole physical and legal custody of Britney Spears' two sons Friday to ex-husband Kevin Federline and suspended the troubled pop star's visitation rights.

Spears was taken away from her home to a hospital by paramedics Thursday night, after police intervened when she refused to return the children to Federline after a court-monitored visit. Commissioner Scott Gordon ordered another hearing to be held Jan. 14.

Federline had been awarded temporary custody of 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James because Spears has defied court orders, resulting in limitations on her visitation. Federline was not in court for the hearing, his attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan said.

The 26-year-old pop star remained hospitalized Friday. Officers were called to her home around 8 p.m. Thursday to help resolve a dispute over her refusal to turn the children over to Federline, as dictated by their custody agreement. It took two to three hours to resolve the conflict, Officer Ana Aguirre said.

"There was a time where she was within the residence and wasn't available to be speaking to the officers, apparently," she said. "There was no threat to the children."

"Police resolved the conflict," Aguirre said. "Both children were turned over to her ex-husband Kevin Federline for custody, and she was in fact taken to a local hospital for medical treatment."

Early police reports said officers thought Spears might have been under the influence of some substance, but Aguirre said there was no evidence of that. Officers at her home determined that paramedics "needed to be called," but it was unclear why, she said.

"We're not aware of any type of injuries that she sustained" and she was not combative with authorities, Aguirre said.

Spears wasn't arrested in connection with the custody dispute, she said.

Ex-husband gets sole custody

Kevin Federline previously was awarded temporary custody of the couple's 1- and 2-year-old sons because Britney Spears has defied court orders, which has resulted in limitations on her visitation.

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