Michael Jackson in legal setback

Michael Jackson denies the charges against him

Superstar Michael Jackson's lawyers have failed in their attempt to have all evidence seized in a raid on his ranch thrown out ahead of his trial.

Mr Jackson's lawyers argued that the evidence had been obtained improperly and was therefore inadmissible.

But a judge ruled that police had "probable cause" to believe Mr Jackson had committed a crime when they searched his Neverland ranch last year.

Mr Jackson has pleaded not guilty to 10 child abuse charges.

His trial is scheduled to start on 30 January.

While dismissing the blanket challenge by the Jackson team, Judge Rodney Melville said he would still allow the lawyers to argue against individual items of evidence taken away by police.

Loyal support

The judge gave the defence until Thursday to come up with a list of any items seized last November that they think should be excluded from evidence.

The evidence in question has not been made public.

The legal setback for Mr Jackson - who is free on $3m (£1.6m) bail - came a day after he appeared in court, accompanied by his parents and famous siblings, sisters LaToya and Janet, and brothers Jermaine and Tito.

Fans screamed as the 45-year-old star, dressed in a white suit, arrived by double-decker bus at the Santa Maria court in California.

About 150 fans gathered behind crash barriers to scream their support for the singer.

The pre-trial hearing could last a week, but Mr Jackson was only expected to attend the first day.

The crowd was much smaller than during his previous appearances, when thousands of fans and journalists turned up, probably resulting from Mr Jackson's last-minute decision to attend the pre-trial hearing.