‘Fake Sheikh’ sent to prison
A British undercover reporter known as the ‘‘Fake Sheikh’’ has been jailed for tampering with evidence in the trial of a TV talent show judge who was accused of supplying cocaine.
Mazher Mahmood, 53, was said to be ‘‘a very frightened man’’ as he was yesterday sentenced to 15 months in prison for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
This month, after a twoweek trial at the Old Bailey, Mahmood was convicted of conspiring to alter his driver’s police witness statement to remove a paragraph that would have helped Tulisa Contostavlos, a singer and former British X Factor judge, after a sting in which she allegedly arranged for cocaine to be delivered by a friend.
Mahmood posed as a Bollywood film producer and ‘‘party animal’’ offering Contostavlos a movie role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, and repeatedly asked her to help him buy cocaine.
The case against the singer was dismissed.
News UK, publisher of The Sun on Sunday tabloid, for which Mahmood worked, said he had been sacked.
The self-proclaimed ‘‘king of sting’’, who became famous for posing as a wealthy Arab sheikh in stings on celebrities and sports personalities, is now facing civil claims that could run to hundreds of millions of pounds.
His lawyer said Mahmood would never work again.