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I'm going to make a short statement on behalf of Tulisa.
Tulisa's been charged with a serious criminal offense, of which she's today pleaded not
guilty. 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 spent a large amount
of their readers' money in flying Tulisa and a number of friends first class to Las Vegas.
There, Mahmood posed as a film producer offering her a £3 million film contract. This case
is not simply about drug supply. It is about the limits which we set on the conduct of
journalists. The media have been rightly criticised in recent years for gross invasion into the
private life of others. Tulisa is the latest in a long line of people who have been treated
as fodder by greedy newspapers. 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 police. It is 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. Thank you.