Spears baby car photo is revealed

Spears claims she was escaping the paparazzi. Photo credit: X17

This is the photograph of singer Britney Spears driving a car with her baby son sitting on her lap.

Several pictures of the incident had circulated unofficially on the internet prompting a defence from the pop star.

Spears said she had her son Sean Preston on her lap in an effort to escape the paparazzi.

"I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm's way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us," the chart-topping singer said.

The singer gave birth to her son in September.

The photos show Spears driving in traffic with one arm round Sean as he sits on her lap, rather than him being strapped into a baby car seat, while a passenger sits next to them.

Spears married Federline in 2004

In her statement, Spears described the moments when the photographs were taken as a "horrifying, frightful encounter".

"Because of a recent incident when I was trapped in my car without my baby by a throng of paparazzi, I was terrified that this time the physically aggressive paparazzi would put both me and my baby in danger," she said.

"I love my child and would do anything to protect him."

In October, the singer's spokespeople said pictures of Spears and Sean, taken during a photo shoot, had been stolen.

They were posted on the internet but removed after she threatened legal action.

A statement at the time said use of the photos would be an "invasion of privacy".

The baby's father is dancer Kevin Federline, Spears' husband since September 2004.

Federline has two children by his ex-girlfriend, actress Shar Jackson, one of whom was born after he and Spears started dating.