Britney Spears called 911 on eve of testimony to report conservatorship abuse

Britney Spears phoned the police to report conservatorship abuse on the eve of her recent testimony in court, it’s been revealed.

Spears has been in a conservatorship since 2008. Last month (June 23) she gave landmark testimony in which she said she wanted the “abusive” arrangement to end without further evaluation.

In a new investigation by The New Yorker, Ronan Farrow and Jia Tolentino report that after the 911 call was made, many on Britney’s team were “texting one another frantically… worried about what Spears might say the next day, and they discussed how to prepare in the event that she went rogue”.

The article went on to discuss the process of the conservatorship being put in place back in the late 2000s. A lawyer assigned to Britney’s case in 2007, Robin Johnson, told The New Yorker: “None of this was her fault… There were so many people involved in her life that caused all of this craziness with her. I don’t have anything derogatory to say about her… It was probably one of the saddest cases that I’ve ever done in my entire life.”

Britney Spears pictured in 2018. CREDIT: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Elsewhere, a former family friend of the Spears’ called Jacqueline Butcher remembered the process of the conservatorship being put in place back in 2008. “The whole process was maybe ten minutes,” she said. “No one testified. No questions were asked.”

In last month’s testimony, Britney expressed how she felt controlled by the conservatorship, which was managed for 11 years by her father, Jamie Spears. She also alleged that while under the conservatorship she is forbidden from having more children, getting married or taking out her IUD.

In 2019, Jamie temporarily stepped away from the role of conservator due to health problems, and Jodi Montgomery was appointed in his place. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spears requested the entire hearing be broadcast to the public as “they’ve done a pretty good job exploiting my life. So I feel like it should be an open court hearing, and they should listen to what I have to say.”

Following the testimony, a judge refused to remove Britney’s father from her conservatorship last week (June 30). According to Variety, documents filed by the Los Angeles Superior Court show a judge had denied a “months-old” request to remove Jamie as conservator, as submitted by Britney’s lawyer Samuel D. Ingham III.

Britney Spears performing 2016
Britney Spears performing in 2016 CREDIT: Getty Images

“The conservator’s request to suspend James P. Spears immediately upon the appointment of Bessemer Trust Company of California as sole conservator of estate is denied without prejudice,” the court documents reportedly read.

The documents also reportedly stated that the court found Britney to be “substantially unable to manage his or her financial resources or to resist fraud or undue influence”.

Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera has penned a lengthy statement regarding Britney’s controversial conservatorship, joining the calls from fans worldwide for it to end.

“It is unacceptable that any woman, or human, wanting to be in control of their own destiny might not be allowed to live life as they wish,” Aguilera said.