Fake sheikh jailed for drug trial plot to ‘scalp’ pop star

MAZHER MAHMOOD, the “fake sheikh”, has been jailed after a judge said he set up the pop star Tulisa Contostavlos “to boost his career”.

The 53-year-old so-called “king of the sting” and his driver Alan Smith, 67, were found guilty of plotting to pervert the course of justice in order to “scalp” the former X Factor judge.

Mahmood was given 15 months for tampering with evidence in the collapsed drugs trial of Ms Contostavlos.

Mahmood’s Old Bailey trial had heard that he and Smith conspired to suppress evidence in the trial of N-Dubz star Ms Contostavlos, which was thrown out at Southwark Crown Court in July 2014. The singer had been accused of arranging for Mahmood to be sold £800 of cocaine by one of her contacts following an elaborate sting for The Sun on Sunday in May 2013.

During a meeting in London, Mahmood posed as a film producer and plied Miss Contostavlos with alcohol as they discussed an acting role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.

As Smith drove her home, she allegedly spoke about a family member who had a drugs problem. Interviewed by police more than a year later, Smith, of Dereham, Norfolk, recalled the conversation. But after he emailed Mahmood his draft statement, the singer’s antidrugs comments were removed.

Judge Gerald Gordon handed Smith a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, saying he had been motivated by “misguided loyalty”.

The judge told Mahmood: “You were the intended beneficiary and you made use of a loyal person… in order to achieve your purpose. The motive was to preserve and enhance your reputation. You wanted another scalp and Miss Contostavlos’s conviction would have achieved that.”