September 4, 2008 19:47

Judge upholds driving charges against Britney Spears

He disagrees that she was targeted for being a celebrity

A Los Angeles judge has refused to drop charges against Britney Spears of driving without a valid licence.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James A. Steele upheld the charges at a hearing on Tuesday (September 2) in which her attorney argued that prosecutors were targeting the pop star because she is a celebrity.

Steele disagreed, saying she was correctly charged because she'd been driving without a valid California licence after being a resident of the state for 17 months. California law requires application for a state licence within 10 days of becoming a resident.

The charges stem from an incident in 2007 in which Spears hit a parked car and left without notifying the owner. She was originally cited for hit-and-run and driving without a license, but the hit-and-run charges were dropped.

The judge's latest ruling means the pop star will likely go to trial in October, reports the Associated Press.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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