Australian top model faces up to 15 years in Indonesian jail

Australian model Michelle Leslie facing possible drug charges in Bali has tearfully proclaimed her innocence, telling police that two suspected ecstasy tablets found in her handbag may have been planted there.

In a defence that mirrors that of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, Indonesian police said today said Adelaide-born Leslie, 24, had suggested the tablets might have been planted in her handbag.

But Bali police spokesman Colonel A.S. Reniban later said Ms Leslie had told detectives she bought the tablets from a "young man" the day before she was arrested.

Ms Leslie was among a group of five people picked up in the early hours of Saturday morning during a police sweep at a Bali dance club –the GWK Cultural Park.

Police said further tests would be carried out on the two pink tablets tomorrow, to determine exactly the identity of the substance.

Covering her head with a sarong to avoid being photographed in jail today, Ms Leslie pleaded her innocence and denied police claims she had purchased ecstasy.

No charges have been filed but she could face a maximum of 15 years in an Indonesian prison if the drug tests confirm police suspicions the pills are ecstasy.

However, legal experts suggested such small amount might attract a jail term of only a few months if she was convicted, NEWS.com.au reports.