CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

A judge warned Phil Spector’s wife and bodyguard Thursday that he was prepared to jail members of the music producer’s entourage if they continue violating court rules against snapping photographs in the courthouse.

The warning came after a confrontation between Spector’s wife and a court employee who caught bodyguard A.J. Jenkins taking pictures of Spector outside the courtroom where Spector is being tried on a murder charge. The employee, public information officer Vania Stuelp, said she was inspecting the camera and that Rachelle Spector grabbed it.

Rachelle Spector said that the offending photos had been deleted and that she was trying to protect her family’s privacy.

Last month, the judge told the defense that photos from the courthouse hallway posted on a website linked to Rachelle Spector were illegal. Rachelle Spector was not in court at that time, and she said Thursday that she was unaware that what she was doing was wrong.

Spector, 68, is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson in his Alhambra mansion six years ago. His defense, which contends Clarkson killed herself, began calling witnesses this week.

-- Harriet Ryan