Britney Spears defended photographs showing the pop star driving with her infant son on her lap, saying she was dodging the paparazzi.
Several photos published today show Spears driving her SUV in Malibu, Calif., with son, Sean Preston, on her lap, rather than strapped into a car seat in the back. Spears said she did it because of a "horrifying, frightful encounter with the paparazzi."
The photos show Spears holding the wheel of the car with one hand, and her 5-month-old baby in the other. A person is shown sitting in the passenger seat next to Spears.
In a statement Spears says, "I was terrified that this time the physically aggressive paparazzi would put both me and my baby in danger."
"I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm's way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us," she says. "I love my child and would do anything to protect him."
However, the agency that snapped the photos, X17, offered a different account.
In a statement released to "Access Hollywood," the agency says, "These pictures were taken in a very peaceful context, in which photographers exhibited no aggressive behavior. We believe that the pictures speak for themselves."
Spears gave birth to her son in September. He is the first child with her husband of one year, former backup dancer Kevin Federline.
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