A woman who allegedly dated another female for almost nine years - while posing as a man – has been given more time to prepare for her trial.

Samantha Brooks, 26, denies charges of fraud and assault at addresses in Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, Uxbridge, London, and elsewhere.

Defence advocate Ronnie Renucci told a judge on Wednesday: "There remain a number of matters outstanding."

Samantha Brooks is said have claimed her name was Lee Brooks to have sex with the woman.

She faces a number of accusations, including a claim she proposed to her victim and pretended to have cancer to avoid being intimately touched.

Brooks is accused of placing a condom on an object she purported to be her penis and using it to obtain sexual intimacy with both women, which she knew they would not otherwise consent to.

Brooks is accused of pretending to be a man to the first female between January 2001 and December 2009 to "obtain sexual intimacy or contact" with her. The alleged deception involves a total of 12 different claims.

These include an accusation that she lied about suffering testicular cancer which made her genitals painful to touch. Brooks is also said to have pretended that she suffered burns that required her to wear bandages in an attempt to hide her breasts.

She is further alleged to have used enough bubble-bath to conceal her body from the woman. Brooks is then said to have wanted to marry the woman.

She is also said to have sent mail in the name of Lee Brooks, a picture of a naked man claiming to be herself and is accused of standing up to go to the toilet.

The second fraud allegation allegedly occurred between February and September last year. The second woman is said to have been targeted in a similar manner.

The charge includes claims that the accused again proposed to her and pretended that mail for Samantha Brooks belonged to her twin sister.

Brooks also faced two assault charges against both women. One is said to involve her threatening to lock the second female in the London property and set fire to it.

At a brief hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, judge Lord Stewart was told that arrangements were being made for an identity parade and that expert reports on DNA and handwriting samples were awaited.

It is hoped to set a trial date when Brooks appears in court again next month, said Mr Renucci. Meanwhile, she remains on remand in Cornton Vale.