UK ‘fake sheikh’ undercover reporter guilty of plot to alter evidence in celebrity case
Mazher Mahmood, one of Britain’s best known undercover reporters renowned for his “fake sheikh” sting operations, was facing jail on Wednesday after being convicted of plotting to alter evidence in a high-profile court case where he was the main witness.
Mahmood portrayed himself as the master of subterfuge and as the ‘King of the Sting’, but on this occasion it is he and Mr Smith who have been exposed
Mahmood, whose elaborate disguises have duped criminals, celebrities, sporting figures and even royalty, conspired to alter a police statement during the drugs prosecution of Tulisa Contostavlos, a singer and former judge of the British version of the X Factor television talent show.
Contostavlos was set to go on trial accused of supplying cocaine for Mahmood who was posing as an influential Indian film producer and later wrote up the story as an exclusive for the Sun on Sunday newspaper.
Prosecutors said Mahmood, 53, had conspired with his driver Alan Smith to alter a statement given to police in which Smith said Contostavlos had spoken out against drugs on an occasion when he drove her home, making her conviction less likely.
London’s Old Bailey court was told Mahmood had a vested interest in her being found guilty as his own integrity was at stake. The case against Contostavlos collapsed in July 2014 after questions arose about Smith’s evidence.
Both men, who denied any plot but declined to give evidence at their trial, were found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and will be sentenced at a later date.
“Mahmood portrayed himself as the master of subterfuge and as the ‘King of the Sting’, but on this occasion it is he and Mr Smith who have been exposed,” said Simon Ringrose from the Crown Prosecution Service.
