Britney barred from visiting sons

A court commissioner has today given sole physical and legal custody of Britney Spears’ two sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline and suspended the troubled US pop star’s visitation rights.

Los Angeles Commissioner Scott Gordon issued a ruling the day after paramedics hauled Spears away from her home. Police had to intervene when she refused to return the children to Federline after a court-monitored visit.

Mr Gordon ordered another hearing to be held on January 14.

Federline had previously been awarded temporary custody of two-year-old Sean Preston and one-year-old Jayden James because Spears has defied court orders, resulting in limitations on her visiting rights.

“I’m not happy about any of these events,” Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan said when he left a closed-door emergency hearing this afternoon. “There’s no winners here.”

Mr Kaplan said Federline was not in court for the hearing.

Mr Kaplan had said he did not expect the ruling to be released until Monday, but it was issued shortly after the hearing concluded.