Tulisa: Fake Sheikh 'offered £3m film contract in Vegas'

Tulisa Contostavlos has pleaded not guilty to charges that she supplied Class A drugs. Outside the court, her solicitor claimed the case had been "manufactured".

Speaking on her behalf, he said: "As has been widely reported, this entire case has been manufactured by the Sunday Sun and Mazher Mahmood, sometimes known as the Fake Sheikh.

"They have spent a large amount of their readers money flying Tulisa and a number of friends first class Las Vegas. There Mahmood posed as a film producer offering her a £3million film contract.

"This case is not simply about drugs supply, it is about the limits which we set on the conduct of journalists. This was a deliberate attempt to target a young woman who is all the more vulnerable because of her celebrity status."

"The law clearly forbids such conduct on the part of the police, and it's ironic that the police should rely on it when it is the work of a journalist. In due course, Tulisa will give a full answer to these allegations in the court proceedings."

Read: Tulisa denies drugs deal charge