Britney back in court over custody battle

Britney Spears’s custody battle will go back to court tonight after the troubled singer handed over her two children to her ex-husband.

Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner Scott Gordon will hold the hearing at 1.30pm local time (9.30pm Irish Time) after ordering that Spears must give physical custody of Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, to her ex-husband Kevin Federline “until further order of the court”.

US reports said the decision, which was made behind closed doors, was made because Spears failed to comply with three requirements of the court.

She did not get a California driver’s licence, required by anyone who has been a state resident for more than 10 days; she did not allow a custody evaluator to conduct psychological evaluations; and she was seen drinking within 12 hours of supervising the children, showbiz website TMZ reported.

The website also said that the 25-year-old applied for a California driver’s licence in Van Nuys after Monday’s hearing.

Last month, the same judge said the troubled singer engaged in “habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol” and ordered her to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week as part of her custody dispute with Federline.

Spears was previously ordered to meet weekly with a “parenting coach” who was to observe and report back to the court about her parenting skills.

Both Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, must complete the court’s Parenting Without Conflict class.

And Spears’s former bodyguard Tony Barretto, 28, said he was prepared to testify “on issues of nudity by Ms Spears, drug use, and safety issues involving the children post-rehab” in the custody battle.

Also last month, prosecutors charged Spears with hit-and-run and driving without a valid licence, claiming she smashed her car into another vehicle in a car park in August.

If convicted on the driving changes, Spears could face up to six months in jail and a £500 fine for each count.

Spears’s arraignment is on October 10, but she is not required to appear in court.

The singer’s previous lawyer also left her on the same day she was dropped by her management company, The Firm, just a month after she hired them for the run-up to the release of her new album on November 13.

Her latest single, Gimme More, received strong reviews, but she gave a widely-criticised performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Spears married Federline in October 2004, but filed for divorce last November, which became official on July 30.

The two had joint custody of their children, but, citing Spears’s erratic behaviour including late nights out with the children, Federline is fighting for at least a 70-30 split in child-rearing duties and for more money.