Los Angeles: A judge on Tuesday declared a mistrial in Britney Spears' trial on a charge of driving without a license after jurors said they were deadlocked 10-2 in favor of acquitting the pop star.
The charge stemmed from an August 2007 collision between Britney' vehicle and another car in a Los Angeles parking lot as photographers trailed her.
Prosecutors said that Britney had lived in California since May 2006 and was legally required to get a license from the state.
Her attorney argued she had a license from her home state of Louisiana and did not legally need a California license, even though she spent most her time in the state.
She is working her way out of recent troubles including a battle with her ex-husband for custody of their children, bizarre behavior in public, hospitalisation for psychiatric evaluation and having her father take control of her business and personal affairs.
Britney’s attorney in the driver's license case, J Michael Flanagan, had said that he went to trial instead of reaching a deal with prosecutors because the pop star did not want a misdemeanor conviction. For now, she avoids one.
The prosecutor in the case, Michael Amerian, said immediately following the judge's declaration that it was too early to say if prosecutors would pursue a retrial. If Britney had been convicted, the 26-year-old pop star faced a maximum of six months in jail, but prosecutors had said she was more likely to receive probation and a fine. She never appeared at the trial.
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