A 49-year-old man accused of blackmailing a couple through a healing and astrology service has had his court case adjourned after it was revealed he is facing further counts of fraud.

Mohammed Ashrafi is already facing charges that he obtained £50,000 through blackmail, and defrauded another person in relation to facilitating a 60 million Euro lottery win.

Ashrafi, an Indian national who was originally in the UK on a work visa, was due to enter pleas at today's hearing at Leicester Crown Court.

However, James House, for the Crown, asked the judge for an adjournment as he said Ashrafi, of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, would also be facing charges relating to "a series of other frauds, involving 14 complainants", and time was needed for these proceedings to "catch-up".

Recorder Stephen Eyre QC adjourned all matters to come back to the court on September 19, for a plea hearing.

The defendant's barrister Carl Gaskell indicated his client, who is in custody, would be denying all the charges.

A trial date of November 3 has already been fixed.