Loss of child-custody stuns Britney

Britney Spears, the one-time queen of pop, has suffered another frustrating setback yesterday when a Superior Court judge asked the troubled pop star to hand over the physical custody of her two kids to ex-hubby Kevin Federline, with whom she has been engaged in a child-custody dispute.

In his ruling on Monday, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon ordered the falling star to hand over her sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1 to Federline, effective Wednesday (Oct 3) at noon.

According to Usmagazine.com Britney dropped off Sean Preston and Jayden James with Federline's bodyguard shortly after noon Monday (two days earlier than required by judge). She then headed to Epitome, a tanning salon in Bel Air, the magazine's Web site reported.

The ruling gives Federline the right “to retain physical custody of” the two boys “until further order of the court.” However, Gordon’s order did not state why he took the action or say how long Spears would be denied custody, but his ruling is likely based on a hearing two weeks ago, during which he noted allegations that Spears was “habitual, frequent and continuous” user of drugs and alcohol.

The US authorities’ decision to temporarily transfer custody of the two boys to Kevin Federline is certainly a blow to Britney who was trying hard to gain custody of her toddlers.

Britney Spears, the driving force behind the return of teen pop in the late '90s, has been engaged in child-custody battle with her former husband Kevin Federline, better known as K-Fed since she filed divorce from him in November, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for ending her two-year marriage to Kevin.

In her divorce petition, Britney had sought custody of the children, with visitation rights for Federline. Acting promptly, Federline counter-filed court papers the following day seeking sole custody of their boys. Both agreed to share 50-50 custody of their two sons when their divorce was finalized in late July.

What had cast doubt on Brit’s fitness as a mother was her erratic behavior, including wildly shaving-off her locks, trying to take her own life by hanging herself in a the Promises treatment center in Malibu. Not only this, she tainted her reputation by dressing scantily without underwear and dancing on stage with strippers.

After departing from Federline, Britney has been seen partying hard with Paris Hilton. She was also criticized for her carelessness towards her children. Several photographs published showed Spears driving her SUV in Malibu, California with her then 4 months old son Sean Preston perched on her lap rather than strapped into a car seat in the back seat, and another time almost dropping him.

Last week Brit’s former bodyguard Tony Barretto who is allegedly a witness of all too much of Spears' miserable motherly skills disclosed about her "nudity ... drug use and safety issues involving the children." Britney has also been charged for hit-and-run and driving without a licence, for which she could face a year in jail.

Concerned with his ex-wife Spears’ erratic behavior, Kevin filed for primary custody of his sons on August 8, and hoped to be awarded physical custody of his two sons. Now, he is delighted with the ruling.

"Kevin believes Britney is endangering their sons. This is a huge victory for him, and a big shock for Britney," media reports cited a source close to K—Fed as saying. "She never expected to lose her kids. Kevin's delighted. He feels they will be a lot safer with him," the source added.

On the other hand, Britney is totally shocked and stunned with the ruling. "She looked lost, mentally and physically. Her mum has been calling her frantically. Lynne is terrified Britney will do something stupid," the source said.