A former contestant on SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS’ reality show MAKING THE BAND has pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic assault following her arrest last month (Aug09).

Sara Stokes, who was a finalist on the second series of the MTV programme, is accused of stabbing her husband Tony in front of their three kids after a fight at their Moreno Valley, California home on 2 August.

The singer appeared in Riverside County Court in California on Tuesday (01Sep09) to enter not guilty pleas to one count of inflicting injury on a spouse and a second charge of assault with a deadly weapon, reports TMZ.com.

Stokes has maintained the incident was an accident.

In a statement released shortly after her arrest, her lawyer said: “Sara and Tony have a very passionate and loving relationship that on August 2, while having an evening of fun, she slipped and fell, hitting her head heavily on the ground and somehow in the process of helping her Tony got injured.”