Woman claims she was paid to make up story about injecting her eight-year-old daughter with Botox

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

The Sun has denied claims that it knowingly published a false story about a woman who claimed she injected her eight-year-old daughter with Botox.

In a sworn declaration to a California court, Sheena Upton said the tabloid newspaper gave her $200 to pose as "Kerry Campbell" - a mother who injected her daughter Britney with Botox for beauty pageants, TMZ.com reports.

The part-time beautician from San Francisco said she then appeared on US TV shows Good Morning America and Inside Edition for an additional fee. Appearing as Campbell, Upton told viewers that she gave her daughter Botox and waxed her bikini line so she would become famous as a teenager.

Her deposition came after her daughter was taken into care earlier this week by US child protection officials.

"The truth is that I have never given my daughter Botox, nor allowed her to get any type of waxing, nor is she a beauty pageant contestant," she wrote.

Upton said her daughter was examined by a doctor at UCLA who confirmed that the girl had never been injected.

The Sun denied it in any way provoked Upton into making up the story, adding that it only ran the article after the reporter who wrote the story watched Upton give Britney what appeared to be Botox injections.

"The Sun strongly denies any suggestion it solicited or knowingly published a false story regarding Kerry Campbell and her daughter. The article was published in good faith, in common with a large number of other news organisations around the world, after being received in full from a reputable UK news agency," the paper said in a statement.

The paper added that it was considering legal action against Upton.