Britney defends baby lap drive

Britney Spears defended herself today over photos showing her driving with her baby on her lap, saying: "I love my child.

The singer said she had been trying to protect four-month-old Sean Preston from paparazzi photographers.

A source close to Spears told People magazine she had driven her SUV to a Starbucks in Malibu with her bodyguard in the passenger seat and Sean in his car seat in the back.

When the bodyguard went to get some drinks Spears took the baby from his seat and held him in her lap while she waited, but then, the source alleged, the photographers approached the car and became "aggressive".

Spears then drove away while still holding Sean, once her bodyguard was back in the car.

The pop princess told the magazine: "Today I had a horrifying, frightful encounter with the paparazzi while I was with my baby.

"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.

"I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm's way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us, and took photos of us which were sold to the media.

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