Britney Spears traffic trial underway
Posted: 17 October 2008 1502 hrs

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LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears may find herself singing behind bars, as prosecutors rest their case in Spears’ misdemeanour trial of driving without a valid license.

The trial stems from an August 2007 incident in which Spears had a hit-and-run in a Los Angeles parking lot while being pursued by the paparazzi.

Although Spears claimed she is a long-term resident, she did not have a California license and was holding a Louisiana license, which did not permit her to drive in Los Angeles.

Spears’ defence was based entirely on father Jamie Spears, who told jurors that his daughter plans to return to Louisiana once she gains custody of her children.

The prosecutors depended on testimony from Jamie Spears, a Department of Motor Vehicles investigator, and a paparazzo assigned to the 26-year-old singer around-the-clock to build their case that Spears’ home is in Los Angeles, California.

Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Michael Amerian’s opening statement was merely two minutes, and he described the case as “very straightforward”.

Spears’ attorney J. Michael Flanagan gave examples of her permanent ties to hometown Louisiana, but Amerian chipped away at those ties.

The prosecution's first witness, Gary Edmonds, said records indicated that Spears still had not applied for a license more than a week after the hit-and-run.

The paparazzo, Sondro Rodregues, told jurors that Spears spends roughly 80 per cent of her time in the area.

The jury, made up of eight women and four men, will return for deliberations on Friday.

Spears, who has not appeared in court, faces jail time and a fine if convicted, although her penalty is unlikely to be severe as she has no previous criminal record.

- CNA/sl