Tulisa Appears In Court Over Cocaine Charge

Tulisa Contostavlos has been granted bail after appearing in court accused of being concerned in brokering a drug deal.

The former X Factor judge is charged with helping an undercover reporter obtain 0.5oz (13.9g) of cocaine for £860 in May last year.

The 25-year-old singer is said to have told The Sun on Sunday's undercover reporter, Mazher Mahmood, dubbed the "fake sheikh", that she could arrange for him to buy the Class A drug.

Contostavlos denies the charge, but has not entered a formal plea at court.

She appeared at Southwark Crown Court alongside rapper Mike GLC, also known as Michael Coombs, 35, of Enfield, north London, for a plea and case management hearing.

Coombs also denies the charge.

The pair, who both spoke only to confirm their names, are due to go on trial on July 14.

They were bailed to return to Southwark Crown Court on June 25 when a three-day legal argument hearing will take place.

Judge Alistair McCreath told them: "You are both free to go. If you want to come on any further application you may do so.

"You must come on 25 June when I'll deal with pre-trial matters.

"You may both go on unconditional bail."

A statement read by Contostavlos' lawyer outside court said: "She is the victim of a sophisticated set-up engineered by Mazher Mahmood.

"We now have a date in early summer when we hope this long-running ordeal will be brought to an end."