Britney Spears' former assistant has branded the Toxic singer's arrest for DUI "suspicious".

The 44-year-old star - who was released from her conservatorship in November 2021 after 13 years - was apprenhended last week on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol (DUI) in Ventura, California, but Sean Phillip has questioned the timing of the incident because it came shortly after she sold her music catalogue for a huge $200 million.

Sean told Extra about her "suspicious" arrest: "I think there are some people out to get her… The timing is so off that she gets financial independence and then she's arrested."

"We all think it's a push to put her back in a conservatorship, because guess what happened when the conservatorship stopped? People stopped getting money."

Despite the years having passed since Britney was released from her conservatorship, her pal still doesn't believe she has total control of her life.

He said: "I don't think she's free. There's still a care plan in place. I personally don't think she has access to all of her finances, but a lot of other people do. I don't think it's fair."

Britney texted Sean shortly after her arrest.

He revealed: "She said, 'I'm okay, I'm okay.'"

The Gimme More singer is due to appear in cout on 4 May and Sean urged her to speak up.

He said: "I encourage her to speak for herself because she can squash everything in a second."

Sean and Britney first became friends in 2003 but lost touch and they recently connected to share "funny conversations and joy".

He said, "It's been 20 years since we were seriously hanging out, and it's just been like nice. Just send each other funny stuff and just, you know, just, 'I miss you, I miss you, I miss you.'"

Meanwhile, Britney's ex-husband Sam Asghari - who she split from in July 2023 - recently called for privacy and understanding for the troubled singer.

He told Fox News: "When it comes to people making mistakes, I understand that. I think that everyone deserves privacy. And I hope the press has learned from the past, that they give her the privacy that she needs."

And her former spouse Kevin Federline - who has sons Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, with Britney - insisted her struggles were shaped by her treatment when she was younger.

Speaking on Chris Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast recently, the 47-year-old former dancer said: "Right. And that is where a lot of my sympathy for her comes from, because this isn't all just her... Hollywood is to blame, you know what I mean? Number one. Giving a person everything and expecting them to be who you want them to be, not letting them be who they are.

"And you are talking like 16 years old is when that started. Her, obviously yes - Mickey Mouse Club and all that - there were a lot of things before. But to put a 16 year old in a situation where you drop a record and it goes around the world overnight, man, and you're an instant success, and it gradually gets bigger from there… we are not talking one‑hit‑wonder types. Like you said, by the time we were together, she had already been on the radar and at the top of the chart for years.

"And so young that you are not even able to… how do you even know? You don't even know who you are. On a human level, you have no idea. So it's like she's trying to figure all these things out, and all that stuff comes into play when I think about her situation."