Britney Spears has been spared jail time in her DUI case, after pleading guilty to reckless driving.
The singer has avoided jail time after pleading guilty to the lesser offence, otherwise known in California as "wet reckless" which relates to cases involving alcohol or drugs, but is less severe than DUI, with the original charges dismissed by prosecutors following a hearing into the case yesterday.
Instead, Spears was sentenced to 12 months of informal probation, where she must comply with court-ordered conditions including vehicle searches if requested by law enforcement. She is also required to attend DUI education classes and continue regular mental health treatment.
This comes after Spears had been charged with one count of misdemeanour DUI by prosecutors in Ventura County, following an incident on 5 March in which she was stopped by police after reportedly driving “erratically”. More on this here.
“She’s doing well. It was reduced. The DUI was dismissed. She entered a plea to reckless driving", Spears' lawyer, Michael A Goldstein said. “I don’t think anybody is happy about pleading guilty. We appreciate the district attorney recognising the positive steps Britney has taken to help herself, and we expect that she’ll continue to do so".
Following her initial arrest for drink driving in March, Britney Spears entered a treatment centre facility, with a representative saying that she had checked herself in voluntarily.
This comes after the singer was reportedly driving her BMW fast and erratically on US 101 to Ventura County, near the Los Angeles line. Spears had also reportedly taken a series of field sobriety tests, before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a alcohol and drugs.
At the time, a source had said that Spears' team had been working on a plan to put new safeguards in place amid recent changes in her personal support system.
The source said: “Britney recently let go of her sober coaches and security guards. Her team is helping her reconfigure things and sorting out healthy ways to support her, including mental health services and detox programs". More on this here.
